While it was wonderful that the OP's son was brave and proud enough to stand up for his mother, you'd have thought it was OK to hit another student???
My daughter 'took down' the class bully one day at recess, a boy at least twice her size who wouldn't stop chasing her even though she told him to stop. She spent the afternoon in the assistant principal's office, as there is no excuse for any sort of violence in school whatsoever. I explained to her what better choices she could have made. I'm sure the OP's son realized he should have stopped before he hit the other student, and that using his words (and reporting the incident to an adult) would have sufficed.
If I was a principal and a parent came to me to defend a child who had hit another one, and I felt that parent was being aggressive, I'd call the police. No one has the right to threaten anyone else, even if you think your child was unfairly punished. Kids get blamed for things they didn't do all the time - life's not fair, people make mistakes, and an ISS isn't the end of the world.
While the OP was rightfully proud of her son for standing up for her, I'm hoping she'd rather that her son didn't cuff the other kid??? And I'm hoping you all realize that kids make bad choices sometimes, they learn and grow from them, and the parents that always back up their little darlings because their little darlings do no wrong make kids turn into nasty little monsters at school, because they know their parents will come pitch a fit if the darling gets served with consequences. I get to see the nasty monsters and their parents at the high school level. It isn't pretty...
Sorry but I have to disagree.
Sometimes you just have to hit another kid to open their eyes. Let me give you my kids problems.
My youngest son is Autistic, goes to a public school. 4 years ago we moved here, and the kids ride the bus to school. EVERY year, I have to, at least 3 times take my youngest son to the hospital (now age 10) for getting hurt on the bus. 1 time my daughter (age 13), and 2 times my oldest son (age 15). Now in my opinion that is BS!!! First insident I talked to the bus driver. No change, second insident, I talked to principle who talked to the bus driver who lied to cover his @@@, 3rd time, again, principle, 4th and 5th. By this time school was out. Keep in mind here, since I tattled on him he is acting like a little spoiled brat and is mad at me, if my kids aren't at the end of the drive he just drives right on by. My kids have missed 5 days of school due to his crap.
Second year, went to the principle about it. Second insident, principle. Third insident went to bus drivers boss, who said this to me...."Well Aaron is a great bus driver". I told him I beg to differ as I have had this going on since we moved here, he further said "Aaron is a great bus driver, he was my star pupil". Aaron is about 45 years old, what the heck has him being a good student over 20 years ago have to do with his incompetence to be a bus driver.
So, I got no where, 3rd year, went to principle who basically said, "Ms Lee, there is nothing I can do (in other words, I am sick of hearing it"). So then I went to the Superintendent. Who promised me he'd look into and get back with me, well he never did. So I told the principle to tell the Super I want my other 2 kids to sit with my youngest (he is my main concern).
Then the 4th year. All hell broke lose. My oldest son got lunch detention because someone tripped him (same bully for the past 3 years) and my son is large and when he turned around to get up he hit the kid with his book, so the kid did not get in trouble, but my son did. The same kids little brother, bent and bit my youngest sons finger to the point he could not bend it, it was swollen horribly and we had to put ice on it. This is also the same kid that shoved my 10 year old into the window frame and he had a knot on his head, severe head aches for over week.
Now, to top this off, my oldest son comes home one day and tells me his best friend got kicked out of school for 3 days and has to go to an alternative school, this is twice now, makes you wonder what type of kid this is. Well anyway, his mom and I get talking and much to my suprise, her son got kicked out of school for beating up the kid that has been beating up my son for 3 YEARS!!!! And I did not even know this was going on. Same kid that tripped him. She then goes on to tell me about all the name calling they do on the bus, how they hit him, spit at him, etc. And she has been in this school longer than we have and says, this is an everyday occurance if you are not athetic. So, hmmmm I think to myself.
Well, after hearing that, and seeing my 10 year old suffer the way he was, both on the bus and in school I pulled him out of school.
When his doctor found out I did this, she asked how his grades were. I told her, that it is odd, he has been an a/b student from kindergarten, and now all of the sudden since he went back to school this year he has made nothing but F's. I demanded a new teacher as I did not feel it was him. I was denied that, both the principle (new principle) and teacher said my son was not applying himself, he was being lazy, he was sleeping in class (this was all news to me, no one had ever said anything) and that he never turned in his homework. My son did homework every night I helped him. So anyway, it had gotten to the point for 7 weeks my son had headaches, stomaches, and just a nervous wreck, so I begged him to hold on until Christmas break, but I couldn't bare to see him suffer anymore, I pulled him out.
The doctor said, all the trauma on the bus is most likely why his grades dropped, he feared going to school and she thinks he sat in class all day fearing the ride home.
This is sad, no 10 year old child should have to endure this crap, and especially and autistic child. And you know what? The reason this happened to him is because I taught him not to hit back, just turn the other cheek and they will leave you alone. I wished to God I would of had both my boys to haul off and punch both these boys, and yes, I would of been proud of them.
Bullies do not leave kids alone until they fight back.
So I blame this on the school board, I spoke to them until I was blue in the face, to protect my child I know have to home school him and that is not right.
So don't go saying that we baby our kids and back them because they do no wrong, the only thing my son did was once loved to ride the bus to school until he was beat up so many times by someone that need their butts busted by their mom or dad years ago!!!!