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A 14-year-old schoolgirl in Sichuan, China has been left permanently disabled after undergoing physical punishment of up to 150 squats, Chinese state-controlled media Global Times (GT) reported.

The girl, Ren, was reportedly punished by a student leader, Mu, for bringing snacks into a vocational senior high school and violating dormitory regulations.

According to reports, Liu, a teacher who supervised the dormitory, was present at the time of the incident, but he did not stop the punishment.

300 squats and 1,000 word essay for a pack of snacks

The girl's mother said the incident took place on June 10, 2020, when Liu and Mu were inspecting the dormitory and found a packet of snacks on the girl's bed, according to GT.

The student leader Mu initially ordered Ren to do 300 squats, before she denied that the snacks belonged to her.

Despite Ren stating that her feet was injured two months ago in April 2020, she was still ordered to do 150 squats under the supervision of Liu and Mu, aside from a "1000 word reflective essay", Chinese media The Paper reported.

As a result, the girl reportedly suffered "irreversible damage" to her left ankle, and will have to undergo rehabilitation exercises.

After the incident last year, the school had covered Ren's initial medical costs of about 100,000 yuan (S$21,016), but discussion about the coverage of Ren's subsequent medical procedures and physiotherapy are still ongoing.

Local authorities reportedly stated on Aug. 13 that they were working on a mutually agreeable settlement, though the school principal declined to comment on the issue when contacted by The Paper on Sep. 17.

Ren's mother said previously on Sep. 26 that she had yet to agree on a settlement proposed by the school, and expressed hope that the school will "take responsibility" for the incident, since her daughter still has a "long life ahead", and the costs would be difficult to estimate.

Depressed after the incident

The Luzhou Medical College Affiliated Hospital had previously diagnosed that Ren was "in a state of depression" after the incident, according to The Paper.

Ren's mother stated that her daughter had "shut herself off" and become “short tempered", even attempting to "hurt herself" on a few occasions in 2021.

Ren reportedly has to walk with the help of crutches.

Received over S$81,000 in damages

On Sep. 28, Ren's mother accepted a settlement with the school, receiving 390,000 yuan (S$81,933) in damages, The Paper reported.

But Ren's mother was reportedly "unsatisfied" with the amount, and expressed doubt that the amount could cover her child's medical expenses in the future.

Due to her disabilities and discussions surrounding the incident, the girl reportedly felt "inferior", and is seeking to transfer to another school.

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