Bullying at Azalea
My name is David Wohlman and I’m the father of a 6th grade student at Azalea Middle School in Brookings, OR. I have gone before the School Board to make them aware of the realities of my son’s life in our school district and the unsuccessful attempts we his parents have had in the past and present to improve the situation. There are three points I wish to discuss. 1 - My number one role as a parent is to protect and love my child. When I must relinquish that protection to someone else – It is my duty to make sure that they are capable of insuring his safety and that his mental and physical well-being is as important to them as it is to me. This has not been the case since our arrival in Brookings in 2006 and it has continued to worsen up to this day. The root of my child's problem is an escalating bullying environment and what I perceive to be a lack of knowledge, training and ability for it to be improved or eliminated. 2 – The staff of these schools take on the responsibility of keeping each child motivated, safe and educated. When any child is the victim of bullying they feel none of these things. In order to help rather than actually contribute to continuation of the bullying , each staff member must themselves be educated as to what bullying is, what it’s effects are and trained to administer the proper ways to deal with each unique situation. My interactions and conversations with many members of the staff have given me firsthand belief that there is no unified understanding of bulling, the effects it has on victims and the correct way to deal with the perpetrators or these victims. 3 – It is the responsibility of all Superintendents and all Principles of all schools to effectively train their staffs, communicate with students and parents and ultimately take responsibility of their actions or non-actions. It is my strong opinion that our administrators have not done these things. My complaint has nothing to do with them personally, and I would hope that they are filled with good intentions. But in this instance, their good intentions and decided patterns of ineffective actions and non-communication have not spared my child from intense and debilitating abuse. As the highest ranking administrators, I therefore must hold them personally responsible for the current mental state of my child. My son and all victims of bullying are VICTIMS. They cannot be told to “grow thick skin” or that they have to “learn to ignore” this abuse – all quotes I have been told by members of our school district teaching staff. They cannot be encouraged to conform in order to escape their torment. They cannot be disciplined for finally standing up to their abusers. My child no longer enjoys attending Azalea Middle School. He is a smart, imaginative and creative child that has been both mentally and physically abused by both bullying children and (in essence) the very people appointed to protect him. It breaks my heart. He is in dire need of counseling and it is personally asking to be home schooled or to attend the local Christian/Charter School (if it ever gets to become a reality). We are asking for the School Board to accept the financial burden of these needed things and to actively explore the actions/non-actions of these administrators. The President of the United States recent;y made a televised national speech on the US bulling epidemic, it is the subject of a heart-wrenching documentary “Bullying” that should be mandatory viewing for all staff-parents-students and it is a severe problem in Brookings-Harbor. This epidemic is hurting children and stealing their ability to receive a quality education. Ignoring the problem and the parents/children that are asking for help makes the problem worsen daily. This should be the among the most important issues discussed by the School Board. Dave Wohlman |
Dear
Brooking/Harbor School Board, (3/22/12)