Sandy Utah (ABC 4 News)A Crescent View Middle School student is speaking out about bullying. He says he has put up with verbal abuse all year, and then it became physical, with pushing and shoving and evenutally being knocked to the ground. He then fought back and punched the alleged bully. Both students were suspended.
The student says he and his father had taken the problem to adminstrators but nothing changed. Other parents say they have also seen the effects of bullying at the school. One student recently tranfered to another school to get away from a group of "mean girls". The Principal of the school says they have a proactive anti-bullying policy and have tried to educate students about bullying and how damaging it can be. Students recently performed "The Bully Project 2009" a play that was written based on the experiences of students at Crescent View. It portrays the effect of bullying on the bully, bullied, and witnesses. The Principal also says he welcomes parents and students in his office at any time to talk about the problem. He says there have only been ten complaints about bullying this school year, but they continue to monitor the problem. Every week, forty students are called randomly to the office to talk about their feelings about school safety.
Crescent View has also enacted Rachels Challenge. (
www.rachelschallenge.com) a program developed in honor a the first victim of the Columbine tragedy.
Some parents say that while they appreciate the efforts to educate it is not enough and the bullying policy needs stronger enforcement.