|
Updated: 5:38 PM Aug 10, 2011
Bullying in the Stateline: One Student's Story
Some local teachers will apply those anti-bullying techniques when kids return to the classroom, but some parents feel that may not be enough to stop the abuse.
Posted: 5:30 PM Aug 10, 2011Reporter: Lauren Kravets |
|
9 Comments 
ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- Some local teachers will apply those anti-bullying techniques when kids return to the classroom, but some parents feel that may not be enough to stop the abuse.
23 News talked to one Rockford parent about her struggle to keep her child safe in school.
"She came up behind her, getting on the bus, and smacked her in the head," District 205 parent Brenda Shleeter said.
She has watched her 13-year-old daughter Karrigan get bullied for a year.
She said, "The kid just stabbed her with a pencil."
The bullying started last year at Kennedy Middle School and Karrigan doesn't know why.
"Why are these kids bullying me, I haven't done anything wrong," she said.
School leaders even put Karrigan in detention at one point just to keep her safe.
Brenda said, "I about went off the wall because Karrigan had a 4.0 grade point average."
She doesn’t anymore. The bullying forced Karrigan to drop classes and miss more than a week of school.
"They told me to keep Karrigan home because they couldn't keep her safe."
Removing her from class didn't erase her fears.
Karrigan said, "I really wanted to end my life because I thought it would be better than being alive because everything is messed up."
"The bullying has gotten so bad that Schlueter wants to take her daughter out of Kennedy and put her into Eisenhower."
However that request has been denied by the board of education since the move would put Karrigan out of her attendance school zone.
"They said you have to file an appeal. I filed the appeal [and] they denied the appeal."
Now Shleeter doesn't know what to do.
She sad, "I can’t live with my daughter killing herself."
23 News just spoke with Shleeter today when she just learned the district is officially denying her transfer. The district tells me they believe they can keep Karrigan safe this year. They say there will only be one student at Kennedy who bullied her last year and they're not putting the two in any of the same classes.
The district also says it did take action when Karrigan was bullied.
School leaders say they issued out of school suspensions and had meetings with some bullies' parents.
Latest Comments
in correct there are no longer rockford police officers in the schools. It is an out of city security company that handles school security now
Bulling is a learned behavior. The student picks it up from one or both parents. These are the same parents that defend their child completely when he does wrong. It is always the teacher or the school's fault, never the student. What is considered bullying has changed over the years. Years ago it was just the fact the a student was constantly picking on someone by hitting, (when I was in school a girl would hit a boy she liked). Now bullying also includes verbal as well as hitting. I have seen parents who bully their children and the child will repeat the action to a weaker classmate because the parent(s) have been doing this for years. But the bully will go home and tell the parents how the bullied student is picking on them. So the bully's parents come to the school to STRAIGHTEN the school out and then get mad at the school when they find out it is their child. Each year schools are given more rules on how things should done from lawmakers who haven't been in a school since college. These lawmakers are making it hard for schools to act. So let us put the blame on the right people.
The district should be sued. They are admitting they have no control. Remember the video of the kid that body slammed his tormentor? That boy is doing fine now. His little punk bullier is a laughing stock. I'm a big person on suing, but when a child is getting hurt and they do nothing? It's time to act!! I was in the jury pool for the guy that slapped a girl for bullying his daughter. I was excused because I said he should smacked her twice! Good luck! I hope you get justice for your daughter.
