Superintendent Denia Reese addresses bullying issue
When asked, “Is bullying a problem in Catoosa County Public Schools?” Superintendent Denia Reese responded, “Bullying is a problem in society, and sometimes bullying occurs in our schools; however, we have implemented the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support model systemwide to combat this problem at school and to teach students pro-social skills so they can be successful in life.
Reese believes students are bombarded with content outside school that affects their behavior at school negatively. She said, “Many of the popular movies and TV shows, music, social media, and video games that are part of children’s lives today have terrible language and model disrespectful and even aggres- sive behaviors. Children who are exposed to this content outside of school, bring negative behaviors to school with them.”
She said schools teach students and they model appropriate behavior, but they need ing similar experiences in Catoosa and other schools.
“My son thinks,” the mom continued in her video, “because he has autism that something’s wrong with him. There’s nothing wrong with my son. People are calling him ugly, calling him stupid, calling him weird. He’s always having to try to defend himself.”
Angry and empathetic comments ran the gamut on Facebook. People offered sympathy — and advice that ranged from contacting the media to going to the parents of bullies, choosing other school options and suing the school system. A few people wrote that their children would be happy parents help. Parents have control over the media that children watch, she said. If children hear bad language and see aggressive behavior there is a good chance they will repeat it at school, she said. to befriend the boy. Many offered prayers.
One parent wrote that her son had been bullied at LMS for three years. Another wrote that her son got in trouble at school (school not named) for standing up for kids who were being bullied. “I bought him ice cream and told him that’s what good guys do and to keep up the good work,” she wrote.
Another parent said LMS is “bad for bullying” and the high school where her son is now is no better. “Every day this week,” she wrote, “(he’s) begging me to come home.”
Parent Rhonda Whicker said in a phone interview that her special needs son had been bullied repeat-
For parents who feel their children are the victims of bullying Reese said to report it: “We can’t address what we don’t know about. Comments on Facebook or to a friend or neighbor don’t help us address problems at school. Parents who don’t feel like their problems have been resolved at the school level should call the Director of Student Services at the district office, or if they want to report anonymously, they can call 1-800-SAY-STOP.”
“I put on a badge every morning that says that I’m superintendent of schools,” Reese said, “but the badge I never take off says that I’m ‘mom’. As a mom, I stand firm against bullying, and we are working very hard to prevent it in our schools.” edly at LMS, including being punched in the face in class by another student, and that promises from the school that things would change were not kept.
Whicker said that her daughter, who is now a junior, suffered from so much taunting at LMS when she was in seventh grade that she chose to move to Nashville and live with her father in order to attend a different school. “She’s still there and she’s happy,” said Whicker.
Complaints on the Facebook post were not limited to LMS and included elementary and high schools as well as middle schools in Catoosa and Walker counties and in Tennessee.