Mother says son beaten on field trip

The mother of a 12-year-old boy who alleges he was beaten by Boston Public Schools staffers while on a field trip to Rhode Island last weekend said that her son came home covered in bruises serious enough to warrant a hospital visit.

``He said leaders put them in a circle and punched each in the chest for things he's done around the year," the boy's mother said in an interview Thursday.

The woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect her son's privacy, said the boy alleges other children were also struck during the trip.

Jonathan Palumbo, a spokesman for Boston Public Schools , confirmed Tuesday that one student's family reported to school officials that children on the trip were punched, kicked, and pushed.

Palumbo declined to comment on whether other students also had alleged abuse .

School officials yesterday again refused to comment, saying that the investigation is still active. While all students on the trip have been interviewed, none of the staff members have been because of their lawyers' and union representatives' schedules.

Anand Vaishnav, a spokesman for Boston Public Schools, said yesterday that the Outward Bound-style program under which the alleged abuse occurred has been suspended until the investigation is complete. The program, known as Rites of Passage, emphasizes personal growth and self-awareness and is an after-school activity offered in at least two Boston public schools, The Harbor School in Dorchester and Irving Middle School in Roslindale.

The boy's mother said her son, who she said was bruised across the chest and on the arms, was struck when he left to return to camp. She said her son is receiving counseling.

``I don't know if it's tough love," the mother said. ``He's confused and hurt . . . and couldn't understand why he was being treated like that."