Bullying can leave a painful scar on those who go through it. Hannah Combs has had firsthand experience of how devastating it can be. Her world came crashing down when someone poured superglue on her hair.

Almost everyone may have experienced this mistreatment at some point or another in their life. Sometimes, the people carrying out these harmful acts don't even know they are bullying others, dramatically affecting the perception and self-value of those on the receiving end.

Why Are People So Mean?

The sight of some kids bullying another can be a disturbing one. In just about any area, you may witness this as you go about your business for the day. It has been reported that over 160,000 teens skip school because of this.

This may be all too familiar for some, bringing back painful memories. The disturbing part is that these kids can be pretty unrelenting in their attacks. It makes one wonder why people are so mean sometimes.

A Story That Needed To Be Told

Over 80% of girls have experienced some form of bullying or harassment at some point. Hannah Combs was, unfortunately, one of the girls that made up this large percentage. Her interesting story is one that deserves to be told.

The cruel act of bullying isn't limited to children, as it can happen to anyone at any time. Combs's story needed to be heard by the masses as it could provide hope and support for people who have experienced something similar.

The Definition of Shear Innocence and Positivity

Hannah Combs was a freshman at Harker Heights High School in Texas and seemed to have many things going well for her. She had a high level of confidence, even for a fifteen-year-old. She was what many described as a sweet young girl.

That was her nature and the aura she exuded. Hannah was full of positive energy, which made it easy for her to adapt to any new surroundings. Her father had taught her this from an early age.

Attracting The Good and Bad

Hannah Combs was as friendly as she was vibrant, and this attracted people to her sphere. Her upbeat energy seemed to have provided the opportunity to make many friends. However, good-willed people weren't the only ones attracted to Combs.

Like a moth to the flames, she also attracted foes that didn't seem to think too highly of her. Combs hadn't expected that the dislike for her would go so far to the extent of having a bully.

Having Big Dreams

Combs was a young girl with aspirations and big dreams. She never really had a problem with attending school as she had quite a few extracurricular activities to fill up her time. She was very ambitious and was always in search of a new venture.

She liked to keep herself engaged, and that meant trying out quite a few different things. Combs enjoyed trying out her various extracurricular activities, which made it easy for her to participate in them.

Joining A Program

In all of Combs's quest to try something new, she joined the Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program at her school. She was determined to find her purpose, and perhaps this would help her discover what that was.

Combs believed that joining the program was part of what she was meant to do. She also thought that the knowledge gained would further help her in life. This new development didn't go well with some people.

The Surprise

No one could have prepared Combs for what would eventually happen to her. She attended all her classes like she had done many times before and focused on all she was learning.

As she prepared to go home with her friends, she would be unpleasantly surprised that day. She met up with her friends, and they all set off to go home. On their way, Combs and her company found themselves ambushed by a not-so-familiar nor friendly person.

Being Attacked

Combs was on her way home with friends when she was taken by surprise. While on their way, someone snuck up from behind them and did the unexpected. Shortly after, she felt a sticky sensation running down her head.

On touching her head to inspect what it was, she found out that this person had poured superglue on her. This was beyond shocking and traumatizing for her. Before they could see who it was, the culprit had already vanished.

A Commotion Broke Out

Combs was beyond hysterical when she found out what had happened. Everyone was shocked at what had just happened and couldn't believe their eyes. Combs let out a loud shriek due to the sensation she felt on her head.

Who would want to do something so cruel to her.? It was made even worse by the fact that no one saw the person in question after the attack. Everyone was shocked as to how this happened in broad daylight.

Was It a Catfight?

There was so much hysteria and confusion that the other students couldn't make sense of what had just happened. The loud screams caused even more confusion, as all they could see was Combs suddenly holding her hair.

They just assumed that a fight broke out between the friends, which wasn't the case. Upon getting closer, they found out what was going on and the extent of what had happened. This was not a catfight; it was worse than they imagined.

Taking Quick Action

Some of Combs' friends tried to help her calm down while the others searched for the assailant. By the look of things, the individual was nowhere near their vicinity, so they proceeded to help Combs further.

They weren't exactly sure how to handle the glue, so they took her to the nurse's office. Her friends guided her all the way while trying their best to calm a flustered Combs. They kept reassuring her, which was very helpful at the time.

Calling the Authorities

When Combs had managed to calm down quite a bit at the nurse's office, she was given first aid treatment. While there, a friend had taken the step of calling her parents. Some of her other friends still went in search of the bully and eventually found him.

He was, however, unremorseful of what he had done. This further informed their decision to involve both the school and external authorities. Combs had to narrate her experience to the authorities involved.

Serious Injuries

Combs' injuries were being attended to by the nurse. The nurse had given her all the first aid treatment she could. However, the superglue had inflicted more damage than expected on Combs' scalp.

She had suffered first-degree chemical burns on her scalp from the glue. This made the loud screams she made earlier understandable. It also showed the severity of the situation as she had been badly hurt. The pain from her injuries was so severe that Combs couldn't speak.

Losing Something Precious

For Hannah Combs, her hair was one of the things she took great pride in about herself. Her brunette locks were very precious to her, and she saw them as one of her best assets. So, it was beyond hurtful that someone would want to rob her of this precious asset.

The attack wasn’t only physically painful, but it was also emotionally damaging. It meant she had to say goodbye to one of the things she loved most about herself.

A Supportive Family

By then, her parents had been informed of what had happened outside the school. They were distraught and heartbroken by the situation. They, too, wondered who could do that to their precious daughter.

Despite the confusion, they also had to fight back the feelings of injustice. Her parents ensured she got all the treatment necessary and then went to work to ensure justice was served. They took every necessary step, with Mr. Combs making an appearance at the school.

A Determined Father

Mr. Combs was sure of the morals and values he had instilled in his daughter. He knew she would never do anything to hurt anyone else, let alone be mean to them. This made him more determined to get justice for his little girl.

While he needed to make things right, he also knew he had to maintain the peaceful reputation his daughter had in school. So he remained as calm as he possibly could for his daughter's sake.

Getting Justice

Hannah's father knew his rights and wasn't afraid of implementing them. He immediately demanded a disciplinary meeting on behalf of his daughter, and the principal didn't object.

During the meeting, the principal told Mr. Combs that the school would bring the culprit to book. That could very easily affect the boy's future with questionable character, but he needed to face the consequences of his actions and how they affected others and learn from them.

An Unfruitful Outcome

The principal had seen to the disciplinary meeting, and the verdict was due to be announced. Once it was, the Combs family was left in disbelief as their daughter suffered severe injuries, but the bully barely faced any real punishment.

It appeared they had drawn the short end of the straw on the matter. The punishment meted out to the bully had little impact as he was simply suspended. On the other hand, Hannah Combs had to live with lasting bruises.

The Imbalance of Justice

While the bully barely got away with a slap on the wrist, Hannah Combs had to deal with the effects of his actions. She was left in physical and emotional pain from the incident. Due to the damage, she also needed to cut off most of her hair.

The mere thought of parting with her locks was terrible enough, but going bald was dreadful. The disciplinary committee's actions weren't enough for the Combs, and they decided to take further action.

Putting Up a United Front

Hannah Combs was in so much pain, and her parents couldn't sit back and watch her suffer. The disciplinary action against the bully didn't suffice as a deterrent, so they decided to take matters into their own hands.

Hannah's mum took the bold step of making her daughter's story public so the bully's actions wouldn't go unnoticed. It was now evident that the bullying case against the school wasn't going to stick, and they needed to do something more.

Making Their Story Public

The Combs were relentless in their quest for justice for their daughter and found a more effective way. They needed to pass the message against bullying, and there was only one place they could do that on a large scale–social media.

Since the school had let them down, Jessica Combs decided to turn to Facebook. She created a page for her daughter titled "Justice for Hannah" to raise awareness and draw attention to the negative impacts of bullying.

Anti-Bullying Awareness

Hannah Combs' story needed to be told, which was why her mother created the page. Although the page was created for Combs' situation, the unified message was against bullying. It served as a platform for every child who had faced one form of bullying or the other.

Every case was treated with equal importance, whether they were severe or minor. The aim was to touch as many people as possible. The traction of the page surprised everyone in Combs's family.

Unending Support

The support the Combs family got was beyond what they had imagined. They were being encouraged from every angle to stand up for their rights. With over 1.8 billion active users a day on Facebook, they were gaining a lot of traction.

The campaign grew, with many people sharing their own personal experiences. The stories of others further fueled the movement, helping it spread to various parts of the world for as many people to see.

Healing Wounds

Glue on the scalp can cause irreparable damage, like blocking the pores and damaging the follicles. The high concentration of certain antigens also poses a risk. Given the sensitive location, it took quite a while for the physical wounds on her scalp to heal.

The emotional scars would remain while the physical wound healed up. Despite Combs' never going out of her way to hurt anyone, it was still baffling why anyone would pour super glue on her hair.

Finding A New Purpose

Combs was touched by all the love and support she had gotten from her online audience. The overwhelming encouragement and the stories of others seemed to stir something deep within her. She felt like she had found a new purpose and what she was meant to do.

It took this painful experience for her to discover the true path she was meant to be on. She would take it upon herself to speak for others who couldn't speak for themselves.

Using Her Voice

She had finally found her true passion, and she was going to use her voice for the benefit of others. Combs knew all too well how it felt to be bullied and not get her due justice.

She had always given herself fully to all her endeavors, and this time would not be an exception. Combs refused to be robbed of her confidence by the bully. She was determined to stand up for others in the little way she could.

Getting A Beautiful Makeover

The support Combs got went beyond online and was extended offline. She had the opportunity of getting a new look thanks to a local hairstylist. Nikki, the local stylist, reached out to her and offered her a new look.

Getting a big chop didn't mean she couldn't look great. The transformation was absolutely free, and Combs finally had a breath of fresh air. She would finally be able to put the glue mess behind her, thanks to the new look.

A Beautiful Young Woman

The number of hair follicles is determined by our genes. Combs must have had excellent ones, as her tresses didn’t only live past the damage, but she still managed to look great, thanks to some creativity from Nikki.

According to research, for 62 percent of women, their opinions about their body image are harsher than those of other people. After considering this, it’s impressive that Combs was able to handle the situation with so much strength and positivity.

Wrong Punishment

The way the school handled Hannah Combs' situation was drawing more attention. The spreading word of Combs' story brought to light that the school did not address the bullying incident well enough. It only showed that the staff were a bit unaffected by the case.

The school was notified, and they said the matter was still under investigation. The publicity of Combs' situation demonstrated that the school wouldn't handle future situations like that with severity, and this sent them scrambling.

Concerned Parents

The light punishments raised eyebrows from many parents regarding how the school handles such cases. They feared that the bully would still go about causing havoc and damage to other children.

Parents believed that the police ought to have been involved in the matter. They felt if stiffer punishments weren’t meted out, the boy would escalate and still hurt other people. He could get worse over the years, which would be bad for everyone in the long run.

Legal Context

The fact that the boy wasn't adequately punished raises more questions. Parents wanted to find out the legal context of what happened to Combs and what could be done. There were legal consequences to the incident.

Under the Texas Education Code, it was clear that there were punishments for such actions. It stated that a student who was found guilty would be removed from the campus, especially if there was bodily harm, as stated in the penal code (27,28).

Classifying the Punishment

The district code had stern classifications about things like bullying, and it was clearly stated. The regulation stated that assaults of such nature are a severe offense. This was punishable by probation and suspension from the school.

The punishment for these actions was a final warning before the individual would face the DAEP hearing. It didn't seem like these punishments were taken seriously, as the bully's punishment was little more than a light slap on the wrists.

A Lasting Impact

Hannah Combs served as an inspiration for many people, both in her local area and around the world. Her story raised awareness against bullying in schools and communities. She had created a community on the internet and was getting a lot of support.

Combs was a victim of bullying, but she didn't allow that to subject her to anything less than what she was. She found her silver lining in the situation and still got justice in her own way.