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The boy was never a troublemaker, so his mom was shocked to learn that he skipped art class one day in March. When she confronted her son about his absence, he broke down in tears saying he didn't feel comfortable going to Andrew Rader's class any longer.
Last week, Rader was arrested and charged for choking students while teaching at the school. Among them were Hinson's son.
"I was enraged and shaking," she said when she found out about Rader's behavior. The incident was captured in a video she posted on Facebook back in April. (Found below)
The boy told his mom about other several instances in which Rader’s behavior seemed inappropriate. Rader came up behind students and wrapped his arm around their necks in a joking manner on at least 10 occasions, according to an article from WMAR.
Particularly terrifying to Hinson’s son was when Rader told him he knew certain pressure points on the body that could paralyze someone with a single touch.
“To me that's a threat,” Hinson said. “My son's an athlete so if you that say to him…his future is flashing before his eyes.”
Rader started working at the school in August 2021 and wasn’t put on administrative until the school learned of his behavior, according to a letter from Principal Paul Satterfield.
Satterfield said the school is cooperating with Baltimore County Police’s investigation into Rader’s action in the same letter. However, Hinson said she hardly received any answers when she confronted the administration about Rader’s behavior.
“To this day and this very moment, I've yet to hear from the principal,” she said. “[With] the level of intensity that this particular incident had, I just expected it more.”
Meanwhile, Hinson has received “endless amounts” of support from friends, relatives and other parents from Baltimore County. While a bulk of the struggle has been on her son, Hinson hopes he can walk away from the situation with his head held high.
"I think the biggest lesson he learned throughout this experience is to never allow yourself to endure unacceptable behavior from anyone out of fear of it affecting your academic future."
Overall, Hinson hopes her son’s story will inspire students going through similar situations to stand up for themselves and that they realize "it's not your fault."
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