Deaf teen's friends rally around him after school bullies throw his bag in the toilet

Nebraska high school senior Alex Hernandez, who endured relentless bullying due to his deafness, has garnered national support after bravely sharing his story. A student at Burke High School in Omaha, Hernandez’s ordeal came to light after a distressing incident during lunch in 2016. Someone stole his backpack and emptied its contents into a toilet, soaking essential items like school supplies, homework, his debit card, and most devastatingly, the battery for his cochlear implant, which is vital for his ability to hear. A photo of the damaged belongings quickly went viral, drawing widespread attention and outrage.

According to CNN affiliate KMTV, Hernandez reported the theft to school administrators, who helped him search for the missing bag. Security footage revealed two male students stealing the backpack, but Hernandez didn’t recognize them. Reflecting on the experience, Hernandez expressed frustration with the culture of bullying toward students with disabilities: “Those students think it’s okay to bully a deaf student, but it’s not. It’s not okay to bully someone who is disabled, deaf, or hard of hearing. Or anyone for that matter.”

The incident sparked an outpouring of support from both the local community and across the nation, highlighting the need for greater awareness and stronger action against bullying, particularly toward students with disabilities. Hernandez’s courage in speaking out has inspired many to advocate for inclusivity and kindness in schools.

Hernandez, who has been deaf since he was a one-year-old, revealed that he's been through years of bullying and jokes because of his disability. The missing backpack incident was the last straw, leaving him feeling unsafe to go back to school. "This just got out of hand. There's too much bullying, too much drama, too much fighting, it’s just not nice," he said, adding that what upset him the most was his English project getting ruined. "I was very upset because I know I work really hard on my project and homework because I just want to make my mom to be happy and know that I did a good job on the homework," said Hernandez.

The teen's mom told reporters that the school had informed her that administrators were later able to identify the two students who took her son's backpack. The boys — whose names were not disclosed due to student privacy laws — claimed they didn't know Hernandez was deaf. While one of the students was suspended, the other was still being investigated for his role in the incident. "I just want to talk to them; I don't want to fight them. I want to talk it out. And talk to their parents about them so they can tell them they need to teach them the right thing to do," the bullied teen's mother said.

"It's not fair that the bullies think they can continue with this behavior," she added. "They need to be reminded that there are consequences to stealing and bullying. Today was my kid - tomorrow will be somebody else's." According to CNN, there was a silver lining to the unfortunate Hernandez's experience. A couple of his teachers replaced his ruined notebooks while other classmates came together to raise money for him. Addressing the support he received from both close friends and people all over the country, Hernandez said: "I wanted to thank all of my friends and those who wrote me for supporting me. I am very happy. It made me feel like I am not alone."

He added that most of those who wrote him are also deaf. "They said they felt sorry for me and had me in their prayers. They said [they] were here supporting me and they know how it feels like to be deaf. So I'm very happy," he said. However, the traumatizing incident was too much for the teen to ignore, and he ultimately decided to transfer out of Burke. "It's his decision. I support him no matter what. I definitely don't want him going to that school if he doesn't feel safe," the teen's mom said.

This article originally appeared 3 years ago.