“I cannot accept that my students bullied Stylianos,” stated S.M. on Tuesday during his cross-examination before the Nicosia District Court, S.M., the child’s second- and third-grade teacher, said on Tuesday during his cross-examination before the Nicosia District Court, as part of the legal proceedings regarding the minor’s death in September 2019.
Responding to questions from the defense attorneys for Stylianos’s father and mother, the witness stated that there were no incidents of school bullying against the child, noting that he was present both in the classroom during lessons and in the schoolyard frequently during recess. During cross-examination, questions were also raised regarding the child’s care and behavior at school, the family’s financial difficulties, as well as information about possible incidents of violence.
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During cross-examination by the father’s attorney, Konstantinos Kazantzis, the witness was asked to explain why certain details regarding the child’s situation, which he had mentioned during his direct examination, were not included in the statement he had given to the criminal investigator.
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The teacher replied that when he was called to testify, he was emotionally overwhelmed and hadn’t prepared himself. As he said, they had to interrupt the proceedings several times. “To put it simply, I was on the verge of tears,” he said, explaining that he recalled more details when he reread his testimony a few days before appearing in court.
When asked why he was so emotional and whether he felt remorse about anything, he said that after Stylianos’s funeral, the teachers had discussed among themselves whether they could have done more for the child, but were unable to find an answer. “And even today, I still haven’t found anything more I could have done,” he said.
Referring to the child’s strong odor, the witness explained that during his main examination he described details he had not included in his initial testimony in order to illustrate the extent of the problem. He clarified that he did not wish to dishonor the memory of Stylianos, whom, as he said, he loved just as much as the other children.
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At the same time, regarding the child’s personal hygiene, the witness stated that from the beginning of second grade, both he and the aide helped the boy every day to wash his face, comb his hair, and generally take better care of himself. Over time, he said, the situation improved, and this assistance was provided only when deemed necessary.
Mr. Kazantzis noted that it didn’t make sense for Stylianos to be unable to care for himself, given that he had been able to clean the farm and tend to the animals since he was six or seven years old. The witness replied that skills are acquired through instruction. “For a baby to learn something, you have to teach it. If you teach it to milk a cow, it will learn to milk a cow. If you don’t teach it how to brush its teeth, it won’t know how to do it,” he said.
In response to the father’s attorney’s argument that the other children avoided sitting next to Stylianos because of his behavior and not because of his odor, the witness insisted that the smell was the reason his classmates did not want to sit near him.
Subsequently, Mr. Kazantzis argued that the other children bullied Stylianos because he was slow, because of his appearance, and also because he always had a companion with him. In response, the witness stated that from the very first days of the school year, efforts were made to encourage the children to play and work together with Stylianos, adding that “I cannot accept that my students bullied Stylianos.”
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As she explained, there were no incidents of bullying against Stylianos in the second and third grades of elementary school, noting that “I was present both in the classroom and during recess outside in the schoolyard.” She acknowledged, however, that some children were reluctant to sit next to him because of his body odor. He added that the clothing and food offered to Stylianos’s family were given discreetly, without the other students present, and noted that he taught the children to respect everyone’s outward appearance. Regarding the presence of an escort, he said that in other classes of his as well, there had been an adult present to support a student, whom he referred to as a “class assistant.” He added that in this particular case, no student had violated the rules of respect, noting that “we were generally a well-behaved and cooperative class.”
Regarding the child’s behavior, Mr. Kazantzis argued that Stylianos showed improvement as he grew older, while his reactions at a younger age may have been linked to his level of maturity. The teacher disagreed, saying that “A second-grader who wreaks havoc in the classroom is either trying to send us a message or has unmet needs—whether emotional or material.”
Later, during cross-examination by the mother’s attorney, Angelos Ioannou, the witness confirmed that the mother used to ask him about the child’s progress and that he devoted a little more time to communicating with her than with other parents.
Regarding the child’s breakfast, the witness stated that it was inadequate throughout the second grade. As he explained, the mother had agreed with the owner of the school cafeteria that Stylianos could get food and pay for it in installments, clarifying that this arrangement was made around the middle or toward the end of the school year. She added that she, the chaperone, and the cafeteria owner made sure Stylianos didn’t go hungry. “We always found a way to handle breakfast; generally, he didn’t go hungry,” he said, noting that there were days when he didn’t have anything with him.
In response to a statement by the mother’s attorney that she was genuinely concerned about the child’s academic progress and overall development, the witness stated that he might have agreed with that at the beginning of the school year; however, as he added: “As time went on, I realized that much of what the mother said was not true.”
When asked about the statement in his testimony that the mother had given the impression that she was not making a genuine effort and that her interest might not have been sincere, as she was trying to avoid further involvement of Social Welfare Services (YKE), the witness stated that this was his own assessment, based on what he had observed. As he explained, during the multidisciplinary meetings, the possibility of removing the children from the family was discussed from time to time, and he believed that the mother feared such a development, as she tried to portray Stylianos as doing well, while, as he said, “she was evasive on certain issues.”
Finally, in response to a question from Mr. Ioannou asking if he could rule out incidents of bullying by students from other grades at the school, the witness replied that there had been no incidents of school bullying directed at Stylianos. As he explained, during recess the chaperone was with the child and had not mentioned anything to him about it, while he and other teachers were supervising the students in the schoolyard.
The witness’s cross-examination will continue on Wednesday.
It should be noted that the case concerns the tragic death of 14-year-old Stylianos Konstantinou in September 2019 and examines whether there was negligence both within the family as well as on the part of government agencies.
Source: CNA
