October is designated as Bullying Prevention Month, yet one month before the national awareness month begins, Macomb parents are responding to recent reports of bullying within the district and perceived threats surrounding a reported bullying incident.
On Sept. 8, 10 parents of Macomb School District No. 185 students, along with their children, gathered at the northwest corner of Chandler Park to raise awareness of purported bullying situations in the district, as well as to discuss a recent Snapchat video posted by a student, which raised concerns that quickly circulated on social media Sunday, including anonymous posters on a local group chat page.
MCUSD No. 185 Superintendent Mark Twomey added that the district has nine policies in place concerning bullying. These policies, along with the Board's bullying policy, can be found by searching 'bullying policies' at macomb185.org. As part of the district's Bullying Prevention and Response Plan, the superintendent/ designee must develop and maintain a bullying prevention and response plan that advances the district's goal of providing all students with a safe learning environment free of bullying and harassment.
Students and/or parents/guardians are also encouraged to immediately report bullying. Consistent with federal and state laws and rules governing student privacy rights, the superintendent will inform the parent(s) and/or guardian( s) of every student involved in an alleged incident of bullying and discuss services, interventions and restorative measures available. The policies also state that the superintendent/designee will promptly investigate and address reports of bullying.
"We are held to a high standard to do everything possible to end the bullying. When it comes to an actual bullying incident, there is not a standard discipline protocol, as it is completely dependent on the circumstances of the individual event," Twomey explained. "We have an obligation to do whatever is necessary to stop the bullying behavior. This may sound vague, however it's the exact reason why there is not a set protocol. 'Whatever is necessary' is vastly different for each student and each case. We have a dedicated team, and I am confident they address every situation immediately and to the best of their ability."
Jane (alias used to protect her children's privacy), the mother of a three elementary school students, organized Monday's rally in the park. She, along with several other parents, opted to keep their children home from school Monday as posts were circulating on social media that someone would be 'shooting up schools all over Macomb.' Both Twomey and Chief Jeff Hamer said the original Snapchat from the student who has been bullied did not mention guns, nor shooting, and the student was calling attention to, and expressing his frustration over, being repeatedly cyber-bullied. Twomey explained that a parent had brought the Snapchat video forward to police and the district, which was exactly what they should do, he noted. From there, Twomey, along with Macomb police, began investigating the report.
"We watched the video he posted, and we talked to him and his parents. He was only putting this out as a way to bring attention to bullying in hopes it would stop the behavior. We are actively working with the student and his family to support him and get to the bottom of the cyberbullying he is experiencing," Twomey stressed. "At no point were our students and staff in danger. The student was expressing his frustration over being bullied, and that led to numerous posts and insinuations that something serious was going to occur, including an anonymous post alleging a threat of violence in our district."
Because of the amount of conversation and inaccurate information being shared across social media platforms, after reviewing the posts and having discussion with police and district personnel, Twomey opted to put out a message to parents to let them know there was not a threat and the situation had been resolved. He noted while social media has its place to keep people connected, it can also exacerbate a situation and provide a platform for rumors and inaccurate information to be shared and snowball. Macomb Police Chief Jeff Hamer added to help alleviate parents' concerns, he stationed a few more officers at area schools on Monday. He also pointed out the district's School Resource Officers (SRO) are on site daily at each school, and are available to meet with students and parents should have they have concerns about safety, bullying and other issues.
"My wife is a teacher in the district, and I did not have concerns sending her to work Monday. We looked into these reports and found that there was nothing that indicated there was an active threat," Hamer noted. "We, along with the district, take every perceived threat or concern seriously, and we will take the time to review and investigate. Our SROs are well-trained and stand ready to ensure our students' and staff safety."
I also want to share that I also have family members who attend our schools, including our only grandson. I will never put our students and staff in jeopardy and should there be reports that we determine are credible, we will put our training and action plans into place to make sure everyone is safe. We have an excellent working relationship with our local law enforcement and we keep them informed of anything we see or hear,' he said. 'We do take any and all reports seriously. I'd rather have 50 parents report things to us than none at all, even if the reports turn out to be nothing. We'd rather look into anything they come across. Parents who are reporting things they see or hear are absolutely doing the right thing.'
Jane told The Community News Brief that she decided to host the rally Monday afternoon because she, along with the other parents involved, feel it's important that something is done soon about bullies in the schools, as well as to ensure that children's' safety and mental health are priorities for the district.
"We trust the schools to take care of our kids and teach them in our stead so when we hear them say how horrible their peers make them feel and that the adults that are supposed to protect them fail to do so, it hurts deeply," Jane shared. "Our children are the future and as parents we want to see them succeed and thrive. Their well-being should be top priority in everyone's eyes. They are forced to grow up in a much more mature world and we, as adults, have to adapt with them to ensure their development and mental health."
Jane stressed that parents should make sure their children feel secure enough to open up to discuss issues and let them know that their parents are there for them and will stand by them. In her opinion, by providing support, kids will have ways to help them cope with their emotions in a healthy way.
"If your child is bullied, please go to the school to discuss what is going on," she added. "I think school district staff should also be able to sit down with the parent of the bully and discuss how to solve the issue at hand, instead of being told, 'Well, your kid can come talk to us, but we won't contact the parents of the bully at all.'' The situation over the weekend, along with previous bullying of two of her children, Jane is beginning to review homeschool information and is prepared to pull her children out of the district if changes she'd like to see made aren't taken into consideration.
"My older children have had many experiences with being bullied, mentally and physically, and they were also exposed to adult video content on the bus by the high school students, which mentally scared them and they were exposed to multiple instances where siblings of another family were sexually touching each other," Jane shared. "In all situations I was told 'We will handle it,' but it was never handled. On top of that, no counseling was offered to deal with what they were exposed to. I personally had to track down the parents of the bullies and tell them what my children were saying happened and only then, was any change made in their child's behavior."
Twomey noted staff members are in place to address the needs of the district's student body. The district employs fulltime social workers, counselors, psychologists and a certified nurse in each building, along with student advocates at the Macomb Middle School and Macomb High School.
While Jane and other parents contend that the district is not transparent and does not discipline students who are bullying their peers and fails to share information about incidents, the district superintendent stressed student privacy laws do not permit the district to share disciplinary action and other measures that take place in regard to bullying and harassment reports. This, he added, might give the appearance or perception that the district isn't taking reports seriously, or putting consequences in place for those students who are bullying their classmates.
"I understand why they'd think that, especially if their student reports that someone who is bullying them shows up at school the next day when the parents of the victim expect a student to be suspended or punished," Twomey shared. "Our district administrators do follow up on reports, and my office will get involved should the reports escalate, or come directly into our office. We just cannot share specifics with students and parents. What I can do is give them general information, such as the behavior was addressed and we are acting accordingly to protect their child."
According to stopbullying.gov, nearly 20 percent of students ages 12-18 experienced bullying nationwide during the 2021-2022 school year, with almost 15 percent reported being bullied repeatedly. The prevalence of bullying is higher in middle school than in high school and is higher among female students. Close to 20 percent of those who report being bullied have been bullied more than 10 days during the school year.
