Taking A Stand Against Bullying
The Autism News | English
GREENVILLE, N.C. – The second you become a parent, a protective instinct comes over you. You’re ready and willing to take any measure necessary to keep your child safe.
At some point during childhood, kids will inevitably have their feelings hurt. That’s only natural.
But imagine having your child teased, taunted, pushed, punched, bullied by another child.
It’s happening in our schools. It most likely happened today. It will happen tomorrow.
A group of parents, educators and community activists recently got together at the Eyewitness News 9 studios because we wanted to dissect the bullying epidemic that has crashed onto our schools like a tidal wave.
It’s a different kind of home invasion. Bullies are forcing their way into the homes, into the lives of parents and their children, and they’re stealing the joy, excitement and hope out of childhood.
“Another student who is in the 3rd grade, my son is in the 2nd grade, sucker punched him in the stomach,” said Adam Henderson, whose son was bullied.
“Mama, she took my French fry off my plate and licked it and rubbed it on the rest of my food,” said Christy Malham, whose daughter was bullied.
“It was an issue at school. She’s not the most popular. She’s not a perfect little size two. Sweet girl. Good girl. Smart. But it was more of a situation of some of the guys. They thought it was cool to pick on people,” said April Houston, daughter was bullied.
“In school he has been slapped, punched, pushed, pulled, threatened and to me as a parent, I get blood red,” said Bryan Herring, whose son was bullied.
Blood red. It’s a common sentiment among the parents that visited the 9 On Your Side studios.
They’re angry, but they’re not sure who they’re more angry with. The bullies who are picking on their children relentlessly, or the teachers, principals and administrators, who they say, are turning a blind eye.
“As a natural human being, I want to kick down the front door of the school down, look at the principal and be like, you’re at fault, look at the teacher and say, you’re at fault, where’s the kid,” said Herring.
“It took me five days to get a meeting after calling the county office to get a meeting with the super, teacher and counselor,” said Beth Baker, whose daughter was bullied.
“The problem is the administrations. They flat out don’t want to deal with it. It took me six days of back and forth emails to finally get an email from the Superintendent herself. It shouldn’t have been that way. It should have gone immediately to her,” said Henderson.
Henderson’s son, who he says is small for his age, was attacked on a school bus.
His son started flailing his arms to fend off his bully. By the end of the day, both boys got the same punishment, because apparently that’s the policy within the Pitt County School System.
“She said in any situation like that, every child is an equal. I said no, they are not equal. There is an aggressor and then there is a victim. Not in our eyes there isn’t,” said Henderson.
The parents continued to push for a solution, push for change. He and another parent were shocked by what happened next.
“We get a meeting with the school finally after a month of complaining he was being bullied. They immediately say this isn’t about bullying in class. We think your son has autism,” said Henderson.
“We went through all of the testing of autism and Asperger’s to prove that she didn’t have any of that,” said Baker.
“So they told you the same thing,” asked 9 On Your Side.
“Oh yes,” Baker answered. “There had to be some type of problem.”
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