Letter To the Editor:

As a parent, a member of this community, and a Kasson-Mantorville high school graduate, I am very concerned about the recent tragic event that occurred here. It seems that the main reason for the death of one of this community’s children was the result of the effects of bullying – that is the second tragedy.
Ever since the spotlight has been on this community I have been hearing so many stories about bullying within the walls of this community’s schools and on the buses. The stories have shocked me; instances where children as young as kindergarten are being harassed, spit on, and physically hurt – by other children. The parents have reported these events to school officials and/or teachers and little is being done to stop this. I do not know the complete story about how long it took the school to remove derogatory remarks from a locker, but if what I have read is accurate I am appalled. School is where our children spend the better part of their day and where most of these instances start. The school’s mission is to provide education for our children in a safe learning environment. Why is bullying tolerated? From what I have heard, the ‘solution’ by some school officials has been to isolate the child being bullied – rather than dealing with the children who are doing the bullying. Bullying needs to be treated the same as drugs and weapons in our schools – ZERO TOLERANCE. If our current school officials cannot deal with the issue, perhaps it is time for them to leave.

Bus drivers need to know what to watch for; HOWEVER, they cannot act as monitors and also be expected to have their full attention on driving. One solution might be to have an authoritative figure on the bus to assist the bus driver with possible issues of bullying. If funding is needed, maybe it should be pulled from the community. This community had no problem with approving funds for a new aquatic center – our children’s safety should be more important.

The popularity of social media has certainly added to the issue of bullying. One child walking from one classroom to the next can be the focus of any number of texts and tweets about them – how they look today, what they said in one class, how they walked. If cell phones are allowed in schools that policy needs to be changed.

Parents must also bear part of the responsibility. Our children need PARENTS as role models – not as their friends. Parents must take an active role in their children’s lives. Know what your children are doing, what they are saying on their Facebook pages, what they are texting, and to whom. When contacted by the school that an incident has occurred, parents need to respond – not be in denial or point fingers.

Bullying is a school district AND community issue. To start, a public forum should be held immediately so we can hear from our school officials and teachers about how bullying is dealt with and their suggestions for making changes so that we don’t have to hear about another young person’s death or possible Columbine event. Concerned parents and community members could also be invited to offer input. Ongoing forums that include input from school officials, teachers, parents, and concerned community members need to follow. Our children need to know the meaning of respect and tolerance and that words DO hurt. This is not a problem that has a quick fix and we should ALL be part of the solution. Our community is being watched to see how we turn things around. If anything positive can come of this, now is the time to act. I would like to be proud of my community once again.

Kelly Heaser