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Parents Want Teachers Punished in Bullied Teen's Suicide
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 31, 2010
Modified Mar 31, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 31, 2010
Modified Mar 31, 2010
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The bullying that may have driven a 15-year-old girl to suicide in Western Massachusetts has sparked outrage and grief around the world, with media outlets as far afield as New Zealand reporting on the charges brought against nine of the girl's classmates this week. The news of Phoebe Prince's suicide has struck a nerve with many parents, and here in New York, the Daily News has published FOUR articles on the topic today alone. (Here's one with advice on dealing with cyberbullying.) And parents are also outraged that the teachers and employees at Prince's school who knew about the bullying aren't facing any charges.
Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel, who brought the charges against Phoebe's classmates, conceded that "prior to Phoebe's death, her mother spoke with at least two school staff members... the actions or inactions of some adults at the school are troublesome." (But Scheibel believes they broke no laws.) "If what they are saying is true, and the administration knew about it, then they lied. If they lied about knowing about the abuse, then they should not still be here," Paris Morley, who has a son at South Hadley High, tells the Daily News.
Phoebe Prince
And Former prosecutor Wendy Murphy says, "I'm just incredulous that this prosecutor would see fit to bring huge charges against the kids—which is good—but do nothing to the teachers. That juxtaposition is shocking... because she knows they can't be sued civilly, she had an extra responsibility to charge them criminally." Massachusetts state Rep. John Scibak, who represents South Hadley, where Phoebe lived after moving from Ireland last year, told ABC, "I think if people knew about it and did not report it, this is a very serious allegation and one that really needs to be investigated." (On the day Phoebe killed herself, a staffer in the library saw other students harassing her, but did not intervene or report the incident until after her death.)
Yesterday, the mother of 16-year-old Sharon Chanon Velazquez, who is charged with violation of civil rights and stalking as a youthful offender, defended her daughter. "She exchanged a couple of words with her," Angeles Chanon told the Boston Herald. "My daughter never fought with her or said, 'Go harm yourself,' or 'I hate you.' We have strong values, and I don’t like injustice, and injustice includes bullying or being racist. Phoebe was calling her names. They’re teenagers. They call names. She did not physically assault (her)."
Closer to home, the News looks at some local victims of bullying, including the 17-year-old Long Island girl who committed suicide last weekend. And in West Islip, a fight between two girls that started on Facebook ended with 15-year-old Mary Kate Bell getting her face smashed in. "She spent three days in the hospital and has had to have reconstructive surgery," her father tells the News. "She could have been killed. And the thing that gets to me is this girl used to sleep over at our house." "The bullying culture is increasing at warp speed," says Long Island psychologist Susan Lipkins. "Bullying and cyber-bullying are becoming more violent and more sexualized every day."
And in yet another article, the News reports that the Bully Police, a national watchdog group, has given New York an "F" rating for not passing a law to protect schoolkids from bullies. Legislators have been working on a bullying law for a decade now. One parent on the Bully Police believes the bill has languished because conservatives object to any language providing special protection for gay and lesbian students. And Daryl Presgraves, spokesman for GLSEN (The Gay and Lesbian Students Education Network), says, "You can’t speculate on the reasons [the law] is being held up. But if it is being held up because lawmakers don’t want to protect LGBT students from bullying, then that’s tragic."
Tagged
cyberbully
phoebe prince
teen suicide
western mass
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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