So normally I wouldn't care about a story like this at all, but as it turns out, it happened about 5 minutes from where I live, at a school I volunteered at only a year ago. Kind of cool that the school's making national news... but for all the wrong reasons. It was on Good Morning America today, and there are Facebook groups and Twitter nonsense popping up for both sides.
Here's the report by WLOS, the local ABC affiliate: http://www.wlos.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wlos_-school-bully-concerns-15463.shtml
Note that there's probably better reporting out there, since WLOS tends to drop the ball a lot. But I feel like they deserve the hits on their video.
Basically a 4th grader was bringing a MLP bag to school as his lunchbox. Because of that, he was getting bullied by other students. According to some of the articles, he was pushed, hit, called names, and told to go home and die.
Eventually the kid, Grayson, didn't want to get out of the car and go to school. The counselor got him inside, but told him to keep the bag hidden. Eventually, the principal said that he wasn't allowed to bring the bag to school, because it was disruptive, and that it was within the principal's authority to prohibit him from bringing it.
Last I've heard, Grayson is being homeschooled, and the higher-ups in Buncombe County schools are talking to (read: probably yelling at) the principal. While I don't do anything at that school anymore, my mom, a former teacher at the school, will be there today, presumably getting bombarded with all sorts of gossip.
So, thoughts on this? Some questions to consider:
You want more links? Here, have some more links:
http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/24...s-he-was-bullied-over-my-little-pony-backpack
http://www.citizen-times.com/articl...ler-boy-gets-national-attention-over-bullying
On a personal note, the counselor there is a great person, and her family makes great hot sauce and barbecue sauce. The principal, however, is pretty dim in general. Sadly, I've never met Grayson, since I mostly worked with 5th grade.
Here's the report by WLOS, the local ABC affiliate: http://www.wlos.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wlos_-school-bully-concerns-15463.shtml
Note that there's probably better reporting out there, since WLOS tends to drop the ball a lot. But I feel like they deserve the hits on their video.
Basically a 4th grader was bringing a MLP bag to school as his lunchbox. Because of that, he was getting bullied by other students. According to some of the articles, he was pushed, hit, called names, and told to go home and die.
Eventually the kid, Grayson, didn't want to get out of the car and go to school. The counselor got him inside, but told him to keep the bag hidden. Eventually, the principal said that he wasn't allowed to bring the bag to school, because it was disruptive, and that it was within the principal's authority to prohibit him from bringing it.
Last I've heard, Grayson is being homeschooled, and the higher-ups in Buncombe County schools are talking to (read: probably yelling at) the principal. While I don't do anything at that school anymore, my mom, a former teacher at the school, will be there today, presumably getting bombarded with all sorts of gossip.
So, thoughts on this? Some questions to consider:
- Should the boy have expected bullying, at least to some extent, when choosing to bring a MLP bag?
- Should his mother have made the decision for him, for the same reason?
- Was the school right to prevent him from bringing the bag, or should they have taken another approach?
You want more links? Here, have some more links:
http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/24...s-he-was-bullied-over-my-little-pony-backpack
http://www.citizen-times.com/articl...ler-boy-gets-national-attention-over-bullying
On a personal note, the counselor there is a great person, and her family makes great hot sauce and barbecue sauce. The principal, however, is pretty dim in general. Sadly, I've never met Grayson, since I mostly worked with 5th grade.