Hundreds of students at a school in New Mexico have come together to show their support for their classmate after she was bullied for wearing a hijab to school.
The large group of teenagers escorted the seventh-grader into her classroom, the day after bullies called her a 'terrorist' and intimidated her on school grounds.
The inspiring moment was captured by teacher Janice Adams who posted a video capturing the moment to TikTok, captioning it "Way to show we are one! We don't tolerate bullying!".
The video shows a series of pictures of a large group of students huddled around the young teen walking her across the school yard and into class, protecting her from any further bullying by fellow students.
Speaking to Las Cruces Sun News, social studies teacher Janine Adams revealed the girl had confided in her the day before about being verbally assaulted by several students using Islamophobic language.
One student was dared by another to rip her hijab off, but thankfully didn't go through with it.
Adams revealed the student came to her pretty shaken by the incident, "She was crying and she said she felt pretty alone. I told her how amazing she is and that she's loved."
Following further discussions with other teachers at the school who offered the girl a safe place to talk about what happened, the teachers turned to the students for help.
Special education teacher Brittany Johnson spoke to the students in her leadership class and student council and they proposed to send the bullies a clear message that bullying won't be tolerated at their school.
"(Bullying) is not something we take lightly. We needed to show everyone not just her, but her bullies as well, that we are one. You're not going to do that to one of our students. You're not going to make somebody feel like they're alone", Johnson told Las Cruces Sun News.
The day after the incident students in the leadership class, the student council, members of the football and volleyball teams all got together to escort the seventh-grader to class to ensure she felt safe and supported on campus.
In the powerful video you see several students embracing the emotional young teen after the supportive gesture.
The caption included #nobullyingzone.
Users took to the post to commend the young students for their bravery and unity.
"Thank you all for making her feel important! I was bullied in school too! This shouldn't be happening. We all make a difference in this world", one user wrote.
Others said it was inspirational to see the students and staff come together.
Camino Real Middle School has a strict no-bullying policy and Principal Michelle Harris says the support her students showed the young student was incredibly inspiring.
Source: honey.nine.com.au
