By Ashleigh Costello
EAGnews.org

KIHEI, Hawaii – A nine-year-old girl has been called a hero and awarded a medal of bravery after she stopped a group of bullies from seriously harming an autistic student last year at her elementary school in South Maui.

Eileen Parkman was enjoying her lunch recess at Kamali’i Elementary School when she overheard five fifth-grade boys abusing Jimmy Mandeville, an autistic student, who lay defenseless in a fetal position on the ground, reports the Maui News.

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“Everybody was scared,” Eileen recalled. “I went up to the kids, and I asked them politely (to stop) … even though I was scared.”

Despite her fears, Eileen’s reasoning for acting was simple.

“It isn’t the right thing to beat up people. It’s the right thing to help people,” she said.

But her good deed did not go unpunished. The boys turned their attention to Eileen, pushing her to the ground, swearing at her and stepping on her hands and feet, according to her father, Sean Parkman.

The then-second-grader was bullied at least four more times before she was removed from the school.

School officials declined to comment on the incident but Department of Education spokesperson Donalyn Dela Cruz said all students are subject to disciplinary action.

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“The Department of Education takes bullying very seriously and believes it is important to support victims of bullying. We encourage students and parents to report incidents of bullying and harassment by immediately notifying school officials,” Dela Cruz wrote in an email.

The Maui Autism Center presented Eileen with a bravery award last Friday, with founder Howard Greenberg calling her a “hero,” according to the Maui News.

“She defended this boy because of her courage,” said Greenberg during the ceremony. “Eileen Parkman is a defender of the defenseless.”

Jimmy Mandeville and his mother, Maria Mandeville, were present to see Eileen receive a certificate from the center.

“I think she’s amazing,” Maria Mandeville said. “She’s a wonderful girl.”

Sean Parkman said he’s proud of his daughter, but frustrated the school did not do more to put a stop to the bullying.

“She deserves to be held a hero,” said Parkman. “What happened to her was pretty wrong. I felt bad. What she did was the right thing. She helped the kid that needed help. She got beat up.”

Parkman said he and his mother offered to help serve as school playground monitors, but were turned away.

When Parkman inquired about removing Eileen from the school, he was told school officials would report him to Child Protective Services for violating school attendance policies.

But after taking Eileen to several doctor visits, Parkman informed the school that his daughter would not be returning and hired a private tutor.