Harassment Chases Student From School- Amputee, 13, Feared For Her Safety After Threats

Denver Post ^ | February 07, 2003 | Jim Kirksey

[joesnuffy]

By Jim Kirksey Denver Post Staff Writer Friday, February 07, 2003 - An east Denver family has taken their 13-year-old daughter, an amputee, out of Hill Middle School because of fear for her safety after escalating harassment and threats from other students.

Lacey Henderson has spent one day at her new school, Dora Moore, a K-8 school - and so far, so good, she said Thursday.

Profane and threatening messages aimed at Lacey have been left on a website for teenagers, and that has her family concerned for her safety, said her mother, Linda Henderson.

Henderson said her young daughter was called a "whore" and warned to "watch your back." One message carried the sentiment, "Die bitch, die," the anxious mother said.

A spokesman for Denver Public Schools, Mark Stevens, said: "We are aware of these allegations, and we will pursue all information that comes forward."

Lacey, who lost her right leg to synovial carcinoma four years ago, has been teased about that during the three years she's been at Hill, she said.

Her mother said there have been pictures drawn and circulated of her with one leg, and prank letters. Even a couple of teachers made insensitive remarks - one using her as an example of the vocabulary word "amputation," and another referring to her as a "one-legger" - but only in the last couple of months has the harassment taken an ominous tone, Linda Henderson said.

One of the teachers apologized, and the Hendersons don't think either was being malicious, but the incidents seemed larger because of the other harassment, the mother said.

In the latter incident, Lacey said, "The whole class just sort of laughed. I wasn't mortified. I was just like, 'Why did you do that?"'

But Lacey and her mom insist their problem isn't with the teachers or school, but with an "underground" group of eight to 10 girls that seems to be trying to make Lacey miserable.

They would whisper things, much like what was later posted on the website, in passing. Two dissected frogs were left in her backpack. Saliva and gum were left on the handle of her school locker.

"It had gotten to the point where she was being bullied and harassed," Linda Henderson said. "The breaking point was the website and the messages."

The harassment didn't bother her at first, Lacey said. "But it really hits home after a while."

She feels a couple of the girls in the group are capable of violence.

"You can take it for so long," she said. "You just can't let it go."

While Lacey's condition may be a matter of interest to those around her, she seems have adjusted well. She said she rock-climbs, snowboards, skateboards, plays volleyball and soccer, and is an extreme skier.

When she walks across the room, she seems physically perfect. The cancer hasn't recurred.

Lacey was set to tell her story to the Denver Public Schools' Board of Education on Thursday, but Linda Henderson decided they needed to let their emotions cool, and Lacey didn't appear. She may address the board later, the mother said.

"I need to let these parents know what their children are writing," Linda Henderson said.

Moving Lacey out of Hill wasn't an easy decision, Henderson said. She herself worked there for a couple of years, and she believes she has a rapport with the staff.

"I love the school," Linda Henderson said. "The school has always come to our defense. The school did everything it could."

But, fears for her daughter's deteriorating mental state and physical safety finally prompted her to take the girl out of Hill.

"It's heartbreaking," Stevens said of the girl's experience.

[Saturnalia]

Kids are such utter bastards.

[Bogey78O]

There was a girl at my high school with an amputated laeg at abough mid thigh.

She walked with a noticable limp. Nobody ever messed with her about it though. She even wore shorts when the school allowed it.

[Bobby777]

my pity to this poor little girl and I hope something works out for her ... heartbreaking story ...

[dighton]

Kids are such utter bastards.

Adults, an endangered species, are meant to knock that out of them. Otherwise you get this and this.

[JRandomFreeper]

Kids are such utter bastards.

Which is why they should never be allowed to congregate in large number. Home school kids don't do this crap. Neither do Christian school kids where the school uses the Bible.

Ask my bratling about gossip. She knows personally how it hurts, and the verse that dis-allows it.

/john

[Madcelt]

Morals my friend moral. You cant teach morals from fear of "You've offended me". Without morals, you aren't human. You have no guide for life or interaction with others. No fear of consequences for what you do. So what are those kids? immoral utter bastards.

[Paul Atreides]

I was going to say that, in my day (I'm 36), NO kid would be that cruel to another with such a misfortune. If one did, he was in the minority.

Have you noticed how cruel and vicious kids are these days? They seem to take a special delight in destroying someone or something.

[eddie willers]

There was a girl at my high school with an amputated laeg at abough mid thigh.

She walked with a noticable limp. Nobody ever messed with her about it though. She even wore shorts when the school allowed it.

Agreed. This does not sound like a typical response.

My guess is that (for whatever reasons) the one-legged girl has become an absolute B****h and the harassment has nothing to do with her infirmity.

[Bogey78O]

Sure I've noticed.

I only graduated high school 5 years ago. I think junior high was more cutthroat though.

[BenLurkin]

Society and our culture have collapsed, and we are living in the time of ensuing chaos. I fear things will get worse before they get better.

[Judith Anne]

I don't think that at all. I've seen some examples of really disturbing behavior from adults AND kids--and there's no reason for it, except that they can get away with it, so they do it, because they're bored.

There's no reason to blame the victim here. She got out of the situation. She's staying out of the situation. I don't see the family blaming the school, or threatening the school with a lawsuit.

Bullying and harassing behavior is the norm, with some people.

[ChemistCat]

You know, I am wondering about moving the kid to a new school for a fresh start...and going to the media about her experiences at the prior school. I had to move from one school to another in junior high because of hazing that was becoming dangerous. (And this was in the late 70s.) My transition to the new school was greatly eased because the kids did NOT know anything about my problems at the previous one. It really WAS a fresh start.

(The problems at the previous one were related to the violent death of another student I didn't even know, and the rumor that I had cheered at his death--totally false, but it's one of those things that gets out of hand and can't be stopped. My brother and I really were afraid for our lives.)

I don't know if I just happened to go to one very bad junior high. We had a teacher who showed the same film on Aztec history every Friday all semester long, and was prone to sleep through class...etc....etc...gang activity, .)

I send my kids to a private school and I'm NEVER unhappy with my kids' teachers...or the other kids.

[RLJVet]

Al of the posts taken into account, is there something going on in Denver? I vesited there recently with a family who has teen girls. I found the family's and their neighbors' behavior to be nihilistic without exaggeration.

[whipitgood]

I assume this is an Anglo kid. If the victim of this harrassment had been of another race, I wonder if the outcome would be the same? When my kids went to public school they were compelled to sign an agreement that they would not participate in such behavior. Unfortunately they complied, which left them open to typical bullying from the ones who didn't comply, or did not understand what they had signed. It was my impression that the school was going to come down very hard on anyone who participated in bullying or harrassment. As usual it was nothing but rhetoric.

[RLJVet]

Al=All

[Judith Anne]

I don't know about Denver...

[kms61]

"Which is why they should never be allowed to congregate in large number. Home school kids don't do this crap. Neither do Christian school kids where the school uses the Bible."

Don't be so sure. I've seen this crap (and your term is appropriate) happen among supposedly "good" kids as well. They're ALL capable of it.

As for this case, it's a shame this girl apparently doesn't have an older male relative capable of putting the Fear Of God into some of these brats.

[WL-law]

Let's be specific -- this isn't "kids" in general, it's a bunch of 13 year old girls, ie, 7th graders. In my experience, the "in-crowd" girls at that age can be absolute monsters, if left unchecked by school authorities and parents. This story does NOT surprise me, but be clear that 13 year-old boys are NOT likely to be involved in this type of thing -- it's a girl thing.

[kms61]

Gee, thanks for making a snap judgement on absolutely no evidence.