Fall River mother expresses concern as daughter continues to be bullied, threatened, despite offenders being punished

Bullying continues to be an issue in Fall River and across the country. A local mother sent Fall River Reporter her story.

“My daughter started Morton Middle last year in 6th grade. She was physically hit and threatened to be hit almost every day. She started 7th grade this school year and after a Halloween dance, she was chased from North Park to 2 blocks away from my house where she was taking a rest from running and she was jumped by 4 girls.

“The girls were suspended. I saw my daughter after (a girl) came back from suspension and said well, well, look who it is. That girl got suspended again and was told to stay away from her.

“(Friday) the school called me to pick up my daughter early because another girl said she was going to go to our home because she knows where we live and kill her and hurt me, her mom, and yell at me.

“There is so much bullying going on in this city. It has to change. They are using policies that have been used for years that need to be changed. Every generation is parenting differently. Why not change policies? I feel the bullying has touched everyone in some way and what the schools are doing is not working.

“I aim to raise awareness and get justice.

“I raised my daughter to be a good person and do well in school. She has an IEP and a safety plan at school that keeps getting changed due to more bullying.

“To be a mom and have to watch your child get hurt on a video is not acceptable. To have to watch a girl holding my daughter’s hair while my daughter is bent over and another girl continuously punching her in the head is mortifying.

“I can’t do anything legally to 3 of the girls because they are under 12. I can only press charges on 1 girl who is 12. This does not seem fair. I mean us as adults we know we can’t just jump someone on the street, or we will have consequences.

“So, these girls stay in the same school that my daughter attends. My daughter is traumatized from being jumped and now this girl threatening to come to my house. It’s just not right and people need to become aware of the victims of bullying and I feel the aggressors need to be held accountable.”

While it hasn’t been fatal in this case yet, bullying can sometimes have deadly consequences.

In 2022, a Fall River middle school student attempted suicide by swallowing a bunch of pills after months of bullying was too much for her to handle, according to her mother. A few months later, a family member found her unresponsive. In 2019, a Fall River student was reportedly, tragically, successful at ending his life.

Family members often point the finger at the school for not doing enough to protect the child and wanting them to do more. This case is no exception.

While the severity of bullying in Fall River is very concerning, it is far from a Fall River problem. The statistics are sobering.

According to federal statistics on bullying, approximately 20% of students ages 12-18 experienced bullying nationwide. While experts state it is not accurate and potentially dangerous to present bullying as the “cause” or “reason” for a suicide, or to suggest that suicide is a natural response to bullying, a student trying to kill themself after being bullied can’t simply be ignored.

According to Stopbullying.gov, parents, school staff, and other caring adults have a role to play in preventing bullying. They can:

-Help kids understand bullying. Talk about what bullying is and how to stand up to it safely. Tell kids bullying is unacceptable. Make sure kids know how to get help.

-Keep the lines of communication open. Check in with kids often. Listen to them. Know their friends, ask about school, and understand their concerns.

-Encourage kids to do what they love. Special activities, interests, and hobbies can boost confidence, help kids make friends, and protect them from bullying behavior.

-Model how to treat others with kindness and respect.

As far as Fall River’s efforts are concerned, the Fall River School System implemented a city-wide, anti-bullying initiative in 2019. Technology is also being used to combat the issue as the new Durfee reportedly has over 500 cameras with face-recognition technology.