STOP BULLYING AT GRANITE FALLS MIDDLE SCHOOL

A situation has occurred at Granite Falls Middle School that has caused concern for the community. A young man who was being bullied by a classmate for a long period of time was given no protection even after his mother brought the issue to the attention of his teacher and the principal of the school. The principal allegedly told the boys mother that "Boys will be boys" and never took any real steps in resolving the issue. The boy who had been harassed by the other child had eventually taken all he could and hit the boy in his classroom after he had been taunted all day. According to the boys mother, the teacher stated that the bully had been at the other child all day. The boy who threw the punches was given three days of out of school suspension and forced to write a letter of apology to the boy who has abused him for far too long. The bully was only given one day of in school suspension, which tells him and everyone else that bullying someone is okay as long as you don't put your hands on someone. We disagree! Name calling and taunting is abuse and can lead to violence and suicide. The boy who was bullied was given the proper punishment according to the guidelines for his actions but the boy who was the root cause gets a slap on the wrist. According to other parents who have come forth to take a stand against this behavior have alleged that they had similar experiences with the same principle. It is time something is done to protect our children and we have to hold the people who are responsible for our kids when they are at school accountable for their lack of action to end this cycle of abuse. Words truly CAN hurt! It hurts the entire community! The mother of this child has recently been diagnosed with cancer and she is not in the physical condition to fight this injustice on her own,so we have to stand in for her and take the proper action to protect all children! Please sign the petition which will be included in a formal complaint against the staff at Granite Falls Middle School that will be filed with the school board for investigation.Thank You for standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves!