Suspended student holds sign outside school

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (WSVN) -- An elementary school student who was recently suspended for planning to bully a classmate was given a very public punishment.

Tarvon Young is a fifth grade student at the Richard Allen Leadership Academy in Miami Gardens.

According to officials, Tarvon plotted with a friend to bully another student at their school, so he was suspended for four days.

As punishment for his suspension, Tarvon's mother, Tarra Dean, forced him to stand outside the gates of his school and hold up a sign for all who passed by to see. "He's standing out holding a sign, letting everyone know that he was sent to school to get an education, not to be a bully, and this is not the way he was raised," Dean said.

Dean, who is a corrections officer, imposed the punishment to make her son more aware of the severity of his actions, and she has received much support from others. "I think everybody is on board, supporting me," she said. "The principal has been out, the teachers brought his school work while he's out, so I've had a lot of support so far."

One of Dean's supporters is Ms. Young. "Thank you, thank you," she told Dean as she shook her hand. "We need parents like you. It takes a community to raise a child. My son is just as rude, so I would do the same thing."

Tarvon's punishment will continue throughout the duration of his suspension; he must stand outside his school holding the sign for 90 minutes after classes end. Dean ensures that her son remains hydrated in the blazing sun, and she hopes her son's ways will change as a result.

For now, it seems like Dean's tactics are working. "Everybody's getting bullied, and everybody is trying to be safe out here, because people are getting killed," Tarvon said.

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