S.H.
**ETA: I read your update. IF your child is being bullied and mistreated. You need to tell the school. And have your son SAY who is bullying him and picking on him. Of course, he is now scared. He is a young child. His size has nothing to do with it. Even big clumsy lumbering kids, can get picked on.
And it is wrong, (if this is happening), that Teachers tell kids "don't tattle..." because, kids then learn, that ANYTHING they tell a Teacher is "tattling" when it is NOT.
I work at my kids' school, everyday children come up to me telling me about kids that are picking on them. In front of them ALL... I tell them it is WRONG and that they need to tell the Teacher. They say "that is tattling.... we're not supposed to do that..." and I CORRECT them and tell them "NO, this is not tattling. Tattling is when you are making trouble on purpose or gossiping. THIS is not tattling... but telling a Teacher when wrong doing is happening. And when another kid is mean to you. The Teacher won't know unless you TELL HER. And if she has a problem with it... you TELL her to come and talk to me. I WILL explain to her."
I am very firm about this. Kids get scared of telling their Teachers things, because they are taught... that anything they say about another child is "Tattling." And it is NOT.
And the next thing is: even confident kids can get bullied. Anyone can get bullied. It is never right, to make a kid feel like he is a "victim." IF ANY KID is being bullied and picked on and continuously, you NEED to, deal with it... TO the school officials, and advocate for your child.
It is not right, to think "well, kids should word it out themselves.... or by themselves." Kids don't inherently know... how to do that.
- bear in mind, that kids can get bullied from Teachers too or picked on by Teachers. My friend's son, was getting picked on from his Teacher. He would tell her daily, what was going on... and how he was not doing anything bad. But the Teacher, continually "favored" the other more brazen kids, over him. And he would get "blamed" even if the others were clearly more outspoken. The Mom complained to the Teacher, who just replied in arrogant ways, she reported it to the Principal, who said it is just personality differences. She then, had to use STRONG wording, bringing it up to the School District, and then, something was done about it. FINALLY, her son was put into another class with another Teacher. AND NOW... her son, is HAPPY and she got her son back. Meaning, prior to this, her son was STRESSED and snarly and just always tense. And it was all because of that Teacher and how he was being treated. The kids who are still in that class, at least one of them is still, very unhappy. And there is much petty favoritism, in that class. By that Teacher.
There are always MANY personalities in a school. And each child has different levels of coping skills. And it cannot be, expected that all kids will be rocket scientists at handling it. Despite them being taught about it.
So as such, with kids like this, they need to be helped... by the parent. You can't just leave kids by themselves, to deal with it. Meanwhile, they suffer from emotional stress and behavioral problems because of it.
Do not place, all the "responsibility" of bullying, on the victim.
Some kids, even adults, don't know how to deal with people like this.
TEACH your child, that speaking up... is NOT "tattling." He needs to learn to defend, himself.
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YES you need to have a meeting with the school/Teacher/Principal/Counselor and whomever you feel necessary etc.
Take photos, of your son's injuries.
These, ARE injuries.
This is not, normal.
DOCUMENT everything. Everything.
If this happened to my children, I would be, pissed.
But, I would dig deep, to find out the real situation.
Talking to the Teacher and other staff, in a pleasant way, but to get, answers.
And if there are Bullies, I would make the school handle it, until I am satisfied.