FireFighterNation

Florida Firefighters Help Burned Boy Adjust to New School

Students at Isaac's former school would tease him because of his burns.

MELBOURNE, Fla. (AP) — This time, Brad and Victoria Maddox hoped things would be different. A few weeks ago, the family moved here from North Carolina, where their son Isaac had briefly attended kindergarten. Their memories were still raw: of students, seeing Isaac's burn scars and not understanding; of the name calling and shoving. Isaac couldn't focus, he was having trouble learning. He even tried to run away during a school fire alarm. His parents didn't want to take any chances that it could happen again. On Monday, Isaac's family —along with staffers at Sherwood Elementary School and members of the Melbourne Fire Department — introduced the 5-year-old to classmates in a way they hoped would promote acceptance and understanding. They wanted to stop any bullying before it started.

FloridaToday.com: Teachers, firefighters help burned boy ease into Sherwood Elementary