Posted on 12/16/2022 5:59:33 AM PST by DoodleBob
LAUREL — Multiple Laurel parents say they are currently— or planning on— homeschooling their children following claims of bullying in Laurel schools.
The parents voiced their concerns on a social media post in a private Laurel resident group after a concerned mother posted asking for advice on dealing with bullying for her son.
Samantha Willis from Laurel is a mother of six and told MTN News on Wednesday that the problem is so bad, she's considering pulling her children from the schools and switching to homeschooling.
“I actually pulled them (temporarily) from school last year due to it. You bring the issue to the teachers and it just gets brushed off,” said Willis. “(Their policy is) the student is to come to the teacher and the teacher contacts the counselor, and the counselor is supposed to bring the students in to talk. And if they need extra counseling that’s available. But as far as that goes, there’s really not much happening."
Willis explains her son is being called names and has seen the violence turn physical.
“He was actually being called gay by this kid. According to the counselor, kids that age don’t know what that means,” Willis said in an interview at a downtown Laurel coffee shop. "He’s coming home crying every day. He doesn’t want to go back to school because of it. If this continues, I’m going to pull him again and homeschool. I’m at a loss."
And it's not just her son who is experiencing these problems.
"My daughter is also being bullied, and it’s only getting worse. Nothing is being done. She also says that she can’t tell the teachers because they don’t hear what the other kids are saying to her. Teachers are yelling at kids to be healthy when it comes to eating as well. Kids are only allowed so many times to go to the bathroom during school. If your kid is sick, we are told to send them to school," Willis said.
Willis was one of multiple parents contacted by MTN News who described a culture of bullying within schools at all levels. All expressed frustration at what they called the school district refusal to address the ongoing problem.
When reached by MTN News, Laurel Superintendent Matt Torix said the school district has a zero-tolerance policy on bullying. He acknowledged that bullying happens in every school, but he declined to comment directly on any of the concerns raised by these parents.
Education experts acknowledge that bullying is a difficult problem to solve and police, but the consequences of allowing it to continue can be severe. Nationwide, about 14 percent of public schools report that bullying is a discipline problem occurring daily or at least once a week.
Willis said this is not a new issue in Laurel schools, and it isn't exclusive to one age group.
“I believe it’s all grades. It’s always been an issue. I started school here in Laurel in fourth grade, and it was the same,” Willis said. “I hope everything gets better, because if not, I’m pulling my kids. I don’t want them to think it’s ok to be bullied, and nothing being done."
While Willis is still considering homeschooling, other parents have already taken the step.
Amber Penne, a Laurel mother of three, explained Wednesday she saw a major change in her son once he started the third grade at Graff Elementary School in Laurel. He has since been pulled from the school and is now homeschooled.
“My kid who went from adoring going to school, it was the highlight of his day, would cry in the morning," Penne explained. "He would say, 'I don’t wanna go to school, the teacher is mean to me, the other kids are mean to me.'"
Penne said before the bullying started, her son once tried to fake being healthy so that he could go to school when he had the flu. Now he cries before he has to go.
Even the teachers are not intervening when other children are bullying each other, she said.
Penne explained that she informed her son's school that he would be homeschooling a few weeks ago, and has not received an email or letter since, until Wednesday.
During the interview with MTN News, Penne's phone began to ring, and her child at home frantically asked for her to speak to the district's school resource officer and a school administrator, who were on her doorstep.
The officer and administrator showed up unannounced to ask why Penne's son had not been in school. She responded she informed them a while back that he would not be returning and was being homeschooled.
Willis claimed the school has always sent an email and letter before resorting to an unannounced visit, so Penne was shocked to receive this call.
Another Laurel mother of four, Alisha Victor, agrees that bullying is a problem in Laurel.
Victor told MTN News on Wednesday that her family moved to Laurel from Billings 10 years ago, and she was initially excited to move her children to a smaller school. But that excitement quickly turned to fear.
“I’ve had kids at every school. South, West, Graff, and now the high school. About the time we hit Graff is when we started having problems with the kids,” Victor explained. “I like how Laurel has a zero tolerance for bullying policy, and yet I’ve had all of my kids bullied."
Victor explained her children have all been bullied since they moved to Laurel schools, and the impacts are lasting.
“My now 16-year-old has asthma, and one of the other kids on the playground stole her inhaler and just started spraying it,” Victor said. "A girl came up behind my daughter and kicked her leg out from behind."
The constant bullying has led Victor's children to live in fear and with constant anxiety.
“From the time she left our house at 6:50 a.m., until well after she got home, nonstop anxiety attacks every day of the week,” Victor explained. “I’ve had days where I’ve literally sat in my car for 20-plus minutes arguing with my kid on going to school."
Victor said her 16-year-old doesn't even want to leave the house out of fear she will run into her bully somewhere else in Laurel.
And when Victor has attempted to speak with the school about these issues, she said she has been met with denial and excuses.
“I called and left a message, two days later I still hadn’t heard back from anybody," said Victor. "When I went in, that was the day the principal told me she needed to grow thicker skin, she’s sensitive, and ‘kids will be kids’."
When Victor attempted to address the issue, she said the school shut her down.
“They always claim that they didn’t catch it on camera. We basically got told there’s nothing we can do,” Victor said. “If you were paying attention, you would know there’s an issue."
Victor said she knows of many other parents who have pulled their children from Laurel schools or are considering it. But when it comes to options, there are few.
Victor was told her children could transfer to another district, but they would have to pay $2,000 per year. Or, they could switch to half-days or homeschooling.
But Victor explored her options for one of her daughters and found another solution.
"We sent her to live with my mom for a couple of months. Her grades went from C’s, D’s, and F’s to all A’s with one B just by going to a different school," Victor said.
But these issues need to be addressed, and according to Desire Meismer, a counselor at Yellowstone Counseling Center, it is crucial children feel heard when making these claims.
"Kids (need to) know they’re supported. Who are their safe people, who can they talk to, both at school and at home and within their friend groups," Meismer said on Thursday. "It’s really important that kids know they’re heard, that they’re going to be helped, those are some of the biggest components."
And as for lasting impacts from bullying—Meismer said there are quite a few.
“Unfortunately there are a lot of different impacts. There can be those psychological impacts, there can be impacts on their academic performance, and there can be impacts on relationships. And there can be physical impacts too,” Meismer said. “Some of those things that they see of course increase in anxiety, there could be increases in depression, and increased incidents of lower self-esteem and self-worth. Unfortunately, you can see that there can be an increase in self-harm or suicidal behavior which is really concerning."
Meismer said bullying causes high amounts of stress in the body that could cause things like stomach aches, headaches, difficulty sleeping, and more.
According to Meismer, if a child is dealing with a bully, they should speak with a counselor or other trusted adult. But if they don't feel heard in who they confide in, more issues can arise.
“Probably a lack of safety. If things are not being done they could not feel safe in that environment, and that’s pretty negatively impactful as well,” Meismer said. “It’s not surprising that parents are seeing those increases in anxiety and panic because those are things that can happen with individuals who are experiencing bullying."
Penne said she sees these problems.
“I have had friends that have had their children physically bullied by other kids and even sent in pictures of bruises," Penne said. “My husband and I just decided it’s not worth his mental safety."
The officer and administrator showed up unannounced to ask why Penne's son had not been in school. She responded she informed them a while back that he would not be returning and was being homeschooled.
Willis claimed the school has always sent an email and letter before resorting to an unannounced visit, so Penne was shocked to receive this call.
This is why anyone homeschooling should spend the $100 to join the HSLDA...if you call them in panic, their lawyers will speak directly to the educational Stasi at your doorstep.
I bought a lifetime membership to the HSLDA for $1000 to protect our homeschool.
“Laurel parents claim bullying is ‘out of control,’ resort to homeschooling children”
These articles MAKE ME LAUGH as I cannot believe that the parents weren’t warned by friends and relatives about the public schools, but instead chose to grab the ‘free education’.
Like many here, they likely rationalized their decision to use the ‘free education’ due to not being able to afford* homeschooling, but funny how they managed to somehow ‘find’ the money for it, after being left with no choice. So, was it an inheritance that just arrived for them, or perhaps they robbed a bank or stole an ATM? Whatever happened, somehow they can now afford homeschooling.
*afford, in this case, means both a parent staying home and buying the needed educational materials.
There are a couple of groups around here raising money to fight “bullying”, using Hr High and HS kids as props.
Anti-bullying chants nowadays are uniformly about “protecting” gay and trans kids - in short, the groomed.
In reality the only bullying that’s allowed is against perfectly normal kids and their families.
It’s a backwards world in too many ways.
And yes, homeschool your kids and grandkids and join HSLDF.
I have eight daughters and have raised various of them in three countries.
We’ve been to religious schools, secular private, public, and home school.
The correct solution depends a lot on the kid, the school, the situation.
I sent one kid to public school with racist Hispanic bullies to toughen up a bit. Worked.
The entire community could home or private school their kids, and there could be one student left, but they’ll still push a tax levy to pay for new buildings and to keep all the teachers on the payroll, because taxes the only real raison d’etre of public schools, and appeasing teachers unions
Body cams could provide a solution. In the event of any bullying the father could conduct a one-on-one consultation with the offending student’s father (or mother). Some fathers might want to hire an off-duty LEO to go along as a “witness”.
My best friend has mixed race grandkids. They are picked on for being mixed race. A teacher told one of the boys to "Sit your monkey a** down". He responded "Ok, bamboo butt". He's suspended.
His sister was using her cellphone to video him when a kid came up behind, hit him in the head and knocked him down. He got up, chased the kid and knocked him down. Suspended. Mom took the video to the school board and their response was that she wasn't to be using her cell at school. They threatened to suspend her. They are actively trying to keep the middle school girl out of school permanently for defending herself against a girl AND her Mother. Both parents work, they have to, they need the income so I don't know what the answer is.
Yes!
Thankfully, Texas is a homeschool-friendly state.
I pulled my kids for two years.
All my kids were bullied. I raised my children with 1950s manners, instead of being 2010 hellions.
My youngest was bullied terribly. He has Asbergers. Kids are cruel. I put him in a school with a strong Asbergers program. When he was attacked in 2020, the school did not look the other way. They immediately pulled the video, got witness statements, the kid was suspended, and the resource officer gave me instructions on how to formally press charges and have this kid arrested.
I told the resource officer to let his family know that if there was any retaliation against my son by him or anyone who knew him, I would drag his parents through civil and criminal court, that I had the time, money, and will to make their lives a living legal hell, and showed them that I had several lawyers on speed-dial (I do). I did not scream, shout, or get hysterical. I was reserved and calm the whole time, and finished with a smile. It was the smile that threw them.
Yes, I was relishing the fight. Destroying these people who raised a bully was going to be fun.
That boy and his friends never bothered my son again.
Parents of bullied children need to threaten the parents and the school. Go directly to the police (don’t dial 911, go to the station) if the school is not addressing the issue. If the police try to push you back to the school, make it clear that the resource officer at the school has failed to perform and you expect the law to be upheld. Get the name and rank (including badge number or business card of the person you spoke to at the police department). Document, document, document! Lawyer up and spend the money to have the attorney send a vicious, threatening letter to the school, the district, the officers you reported it to (both on and off campus) and file a case against the bully’s parents. If necessary, refuse to have your child return to school, citing an unsafe learning environment (check with your attorney). Each day your child is out, they lose money. Network with other parents. Protest the school.
Fight for your child. Use every weapon in your arsenal. Go to the media. Go to the police. Make them fear you. Do not send your child into a war zone and then boo hoo when they get hurt. They are your flesh and blood, a gift from God. Protect them. If the school is not on your side they are the enemy. Treat them as such.
True. Most kids don't know what the word means. It's a word boys use to humiliate the bullied boy. It doesn't mean the boy is "gay." Sadly, some young boys have committed suicide. Then, the activists hold them up as examples of "gay" children being bullied to death, so adults label the boy after death with the very word the bullies used to taunt the boy.
Our teacher got really peeved, grabbed the dictionary, and read the definition ("happy").
We continued using "gay" behind the back of the teacher, oblivious to the Freddie Mercury/Melissa Ethridge meaning.
This ping list is for the other articles of interest to homeschoolers about education and public school. This can occasionally be a fairly high volume list. Articles pinged to the Another Reason to Homeschool List will be given the keyword of ARTH. (If I remember. If I forget, please feel free to add it yourself)
The main Homeschool Ping List handles the homeschool-specific articles. I hold both the Homeschool Ping List and the Another Reason to Homeschool Ping list. Please freepmail me to let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from either list, or both.
What the heck is she waiting for? She’s subjecting her kids to this every day and still hasn’t decided to pull them for good.
... Go directly to the police (don’t dial 911, go to the station) if the school is not addressing the issue. ...
*********
Good point. Most parents think that their kids’ right to police protection ends at the schoolhouse door.
DJ - please, print out TheWriterTX's instruction manual above and hand it to your friend.
“they’ll still push a tax levy to pay for new buildings and to keep all the teachers on the payroll”
And that’s where these same parents and voters step up, take control of the school boards and county commission. Have the guts to reduce funding. When the teachers and administrators bitch, tell them to their jobs otherwise they won’t have one.
“Even the teachers are not intervening when other children are bullying each other, she said.”
***
What is wrong with teachers that they won’t help kids? It’s a disgrace.
If they need the income so badly they are willing to trade off their child's safety and well-being, they should realize that someone's abusing their child for free, and there are people who will pay good money for that experience. Heck, they could probably go online and find someone willing to pay $100 an hour to traumatize, abuse, or injure a child.
If you NEED the money, maximize your profits! You can pay off your mortgage or car loan, take vacations in exotic places, indulge that special hobby...
"Both parents work, they have to, they need the income so I don't know what the answer is."
Many homeschool families make ends meet with very little money. If this family can't survive on one income, maybe one could work full-time, while the other works part-time off-hours.
Our Catholic sister did something similar in the 70’s. One day, she closed the classroom door. She said she overheard the boys using certain words. She then wrote each profane word one by one on the blackboard - we all sat there in shock - and proceeded to explain the history and correct definition for each word. I will never forget that sister. She looked like Wonder Woman in a habit. I’ll also never forget that a f—got is a bundle of sticks.
Those who have plenty will always judge those who struggle......
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.