MANCHESTER -- A mother is taking matters into her own hands when it comes to stopping kids from bullying.
Candy Lopez says she feels sick to her stomach almost every day when her 10-year-old comes home from Washington Elementary School in Manchester.
Lopez said, "They call him stupid, retarded, he smells like poop, doesn't take a shower, can't read."
What's most heartbreaking for this mother is her son really struggles with reading and is not on the same level as his fourth-grade classmates. In tears, she said, "It's pretty hard to see your kid come home every day and cry."
Lopez said she's developed a friendship with another mother, Jasmine Duarte, as they've shared stories about their fourth-grade sons being bullied at the same school.
Duarte says her son has been physically abused, even stabbed in the stomach with a fork because he asked another student to be quiet while he was doing his work. Most recently, she said that same student punched her son in the eye.
Both Duarte and Lopez say the school is listening, but the harassment continues. In fact, FOX 61 was there when Lopez got two calls back.
Fed up, she's taking matters into her own hands. Lopez wants to have a forum where parents can speak out and come to an understanding about the dangers associated with bullying.
"If this is the way to be heard, then I've gotta do what I can for my son," she said.
FOX 61 reached out to officials with the Manchester Public Schools for a comment. All they would say is they take bullying accusations very seriously.
If you'd like to reach out to Lopez, you can message her on Facebook by clicking here. If you'd like more information about Manchester Public School's bullying policy, click here.