They also requested the installation of surveillance cameras in the classroom amid concerns for the safety of their children.
The incident that finally led to the petition took place on March 29 when Xiaoming kicked a classmate three times, a day after being reprimanded by his teacher for bullying others in his class.
“Following the incident, his parents, those of the victim and the teacher, sought immediate medical attention for the boy. However, his aggressive behaviour continued,” a school official told CNR News.
Later, Xiaoming’s bullying further fuelled discontent among parents of children who had previously been his victims.
They expressed their concerns in a group chat, and on April 1, they issued a joint letter demanding his transfer.
However, Xiaoming’s mother, Wang, defended her son’s behaviour by attributing it to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, saying she had previously taken him to hospital for evaluation.
“The examination suggested he might have ADHD, but no formal diagnosis or medication was provided,” she said.
The school, however, refuted her claims, stating that Xiaoming, who only joined the class in February, had shown continuous discipline issues and physical aggression towards his peers.
Xiaoming was taken home by his parents on April 1 and has been attending classes online.
He will return in May, when the school plans to reassess his behaviour and consider having his parents accompany him in class for a period.
This situation has sparked a discussion among Chinese parents online, with many sharing their own struggles and frustrations in similar circumstances.
“As someone with ADHD, I rarely disturbed other students. ADHD does not always mean bad behaviour,” one person wrote.
“This isn’t just about ADHD. It’s about a lack of discipline. My neighbour’s child in nursery school is unruly and aggressive, yet his parents think he is promising,” said another.
“All of us can understand the frustration of the 46 parents who petitioned,” wrote a third person.
Bullying in schools has sometimes had tragic consequences.
In March, a child from Shandong province in eastern China was brutally assaulted by six classmates, forced to kneel and eat glass.
About the same time, a student in Hebei, northern China, who had been bullied by peers over a long period, was murdered.
His body was buried in an abandoned greenhouse and his face was unrecognisable after being battered with a shovel.
In response to escalating bullying, the Aofeng School in the southeastern province of Fujian installed an extensive alarm system throughout the campus, including the bathrooms.
