A Waterford parent is speaking out and standing up against school bullies. She recently shared a post on her Facebook page about her daughter being bullied at school.
The post has been shared thousands of times.
Kaila Partlo says more has to be done, and it starts with the school administrators. She say she wants to know when the bullying is going to stop at school and who is going to speak out against it.
"Something is going to happen and it’s going to become more physical and more damage can be done," she says.
It’s a story happening in schools across the country, students bullying students. Some even going as far as taking their own lives.
"She doesn’t want to go to school," Partlo says. "Today I kept her home because she was terrified to go back."
In January, Charles Witherspoon’s 9-year-old daughter committed suicide, after months of being bullied at Cooley elementary in Waterford.
"Recently my daughter was just punched directly in the face by a fourth grade boy and on top of that the school has done nothing," she says.
She took to Facebook, writing about what’s been happening to her daughter at school. It’s been shared more than 10,000 times.
Other parents have quickly responded to the post. One person wrote, "absolutely unacceptable! So sorry to hear this is happening to your kiddos!! I’m sharing this for sure."
Another woman writing, "I’m so sorry your daughter is going through this! I hope someone does something soon!"
We reached out to the Waterford school district. They sent us a statement that reads in part:
We understand that prevention and intervention, as well as recovery, are necessary steps to create a culture of respect and safe learning.
In this particular situation, meetings between the principal(s) and parents occurred to address the issue beginning last fall. We will continue our efforts and work with the parents to resolve this issue.
Partlo says seeing what her child is going through is something that needs to be talked about openly among other parents.
"Ask your children. Kids don’t always share this information, I’m so thankful mine does, ask your kids if this is happening, let them know to report it if they see it happening."
Partlo says on Monday, parents and some staff from the Waterford school district will hold an open discussion about what’s going on in the district at the Waterford library from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.
Get Help Now: https://www.stopbullying.gov/get-help-now/index.html
OK2SAY: http://www.michigan.gov/ok2say/
Suicide Prevention Hotline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
