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Update: 6 indicted in Phoebe Prince bullying probe
The Republican ^ | 3/30/10 | Sandra Constantine

Posted on 03/30/2010 1:15:16 PM PDT by Vermont Lt

NORTHAMPTON – Six young people have been indicted on charges ranging from statutory rape to criminal harassment in the death of 15-year-old Phoebe N. Prince, who hanged herself in January after months of intense bullying at South Hadley High School.

(Excerpt) Read more at masslive.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Massachusetts
KEYWORDS: bulies; bullying; craigslist; cyberbullying; education; harassment; hatecrime; hatespeech; immigrant; irish; moralabsolutes; northampton; publiceducation; publicschools; statutoryrape; suicide
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To: stop_fascism

Unfortunately there are many people who are not in a financial position to enroll their children in private school, or who are unable to home-school. We fall into both these categories. Thus, we supplement education at home the best we can. Thus far it is working well.


41 posted on 03/30/2010 3:55:48 PM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud Papa of two new Army Brats! Congrats to my Soldier son and his wife.)
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To: SoldierDad

In MASS? My guess is that it was written some time in the 1800’s.


42 posted on 03/30/2010 3:56:10 PM PDT by Vermont Lt (This nation, of the people, by the people, and for the people has perished from the land.)
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To: NativeTxn

I live about ten minutes from the town. People talk.


43 posted on 03/30/2010 3:59:31 PM PDT by Vermont Lt (This nation, of the people, by the people, and for the people has perished from the land.)
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To: Vermont Lt

Does anyone know what the consent laws are in Mass? In Maryland it’s 16, they also have a “four year” rule, to cover high school sex...where they usually don’t charge anyone with statutory as long as they’re 18 or younger and not more than four years older.


44 posted on 03/30/2010 4:00:54 PM PDT by Katya (Homo Nosce Te Ipsum)
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To: Carley

The problem with the school is that due to the State Privacy laws, they can’t say anything.

Since all of the kids are/were minors, the school is in the position of not being able to defend itself publicly.

There are rumors in the town that are not flattering to the parents of the kids in town, but nothing substantiated.

However, if I were one of the defense attorney’s I would be doing public discovery for the next six months.

I still cannot believe that ten kids, twenty parents, and God knows how many friends, siblings, and others knew all about this. And did nothing. It just blows my mind.


45 posted on 03/30/2010 4:04:15 PM PDT by Vermont Lt (This nation, of the people, by the people, and for the people has perished from the land.)
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To: Katya
Here is the law for girls under 16. i dont know if she was under 14 when this happened, but I dont think so:

MGL c.265, s. 23A Rape and abuse of child aggravated by age difference between defendant and victim or by when committed by mandated reporters; penalties

Whoever unlawfully has sexual intercourse or unnatural sexual intercourse, and abuses a child under 16 years of age and:

(a) there exists more than a 5 year age difference between the defendant and the victim and the victim is under 12 years of age;

(b) there exists more than a 10 year age difference between the defendant and the victim where the victim is between the age of 12 and 16 years of age; or

(c) at the time of such intercourse, was a mandated reporter as defined in section 21 of chapter 119, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for life or for any term of years, but not less than 10 years.


I am no lawyer, but I think this puts the five year rule into play.
46 posted on 03/30/2010 4:14:45 PM PDT by Vermont Lt (This nation, of the people, by the people, and for the people has perished from the land.)
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To: Vermont Lt

The boys in question are now 17 and 18, except we don’t know their ages at the time this occurred, or whether she was 14 or 15. I don’t see how either would face any jail time. In regards to the girls involved, various reports stated she was called a “slut” etc face to face, and they probably wrote even nastier things about her online.

Do people really think that’s abnormal behavior? Welcome to high school, where kids fight, and everyone hates the freshmeat. I have to wonder whether or not we are approaching the point, where Ms. Prince’s behavior should be socially accepted for the sake of political correctness.

Her suicide is tragic, but speaks to an entirely different condition.
I for one, am going to wait to hear the other side, before rushing to a “Duke-like” prosecurtorial edict.


47 posted on 03/30/2010 4:37:43 PM PDT by Katya (Homo Nosce Te Ipsum)
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To: a fool in paradise

They did attach some civil rights charges.


48 posted on 03/30/2010 6:02:18 PM PDT by cmj328 (Got ruthless?)
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To: Katya

It never ceases to amaze me how hard women are on one another. It’s fortunate that Jesus didn’t ask a woman to cast the first stone, or that story would have had a very different ending.

Yes, welcome to High school - Day prison for anyone who commits the crime of being teen-aged. Since society forces kids to be locked up in these institution of learning, it has a certain duty to make sure they are safe. We can’t just wash our hands and say “kids will be kids.”

It was pretty inconsiderate of the little slut to kill herself and ruin everyone’s prom, wasn’t it.


49 posted on 03/30/2010 9:49:47 PM PDT by stop_fascism
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It doesn’t surprise me at all that the school did nothing to stop this. My child was being bullied in middle school. I went to the administration over and over for a year. They kept telling me they were handling it and yet it continued. The first day of school the following year it began again. I finally called the mother of the offending child myself and it never happened again. She had no idea her kid was bullying, the school never contacted her. I doubt they ever even talked to the child about their behavior either. With all their talk and money spent on programs to prevent bullying they really don’t care about getting involved in resolving these issues. If you notice all the bullying prevention programs put all the responsibility on the kids and none on the adults in charge. All these are are cya programs giving lip service to school safety.


50 posted on 03/30/2010 10:32:50 PM PDT by Jenny217
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To: stop_fascism

True to the extent, that as a mother I hold her mother, as the present parent responsible.

However, the natural order has always been, women keep the social order, particularly by castigating bad behavior. Could these girls have gone too far? Of course, but we don’t know anything beyond the charges filed.

This has nothing to do with popular vs. unpopular in a high school. Every social group...including kids who might consider themselves outcasts has a pecking order.

My point perhaps not very warmly expressed, was one of wait and see to hear the other side.
Again, if the troubled girl hadn’t killed herself, this would probably not have become a case the prosecutor would have taken.


51 posted on 03/31/2010 9:40:12 AM PDT by Katya (Homo Nosce Te Ipsum)
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To: laconic

For what it’s worth, they’ll have to face God for it. That’s not swift justice, but it is eternal.


52 posted on 04/01/2010 8:31:26 AM PDT by Niuhuru (The Internet is the digital AIDS; adapting and successfully destroying the MSM host.)
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To: pnh102

I know what it’s like to go through constant bullying, so I really hope that these monsters are shunned for the rest of their miserable lives and that they have problems finding jobs, decent spouses, and living a happy life.


53 posted on 04/01/2010 9:52:44 AM PDT by Niuhuru (The Internet is the digital AIDS; adapting and successfully destroying the MSM host.)
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