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Paladine-
I just wanted to take a second to thank you for keeping Phoebe's case in the forefront.
Sadly, your MLK quote applies to this situation perfectly.
-Amanda
Coming up on CNN, shortly...(11:57 est) a friend of Phoebe will be talking about why she was bullied...well, the excuses they used, at any rate...
I am not able to watch any if someone could post a recap I would appreciate it very much. : )
The two are unrelated. The right to free speech is a protection against governmental prior restraint, you can still be prosecuted for the content of your speech or the actions others take as a result of your speech under various laws, and you can be subject to civil liability (money damages) for defamation.
If her child is a minor she can be held responsible for the actions of her child both civilly and criminally depending on the situation.
This is the journalist that was/is Phoebes angel, imo...Cullen brings Phoebe to life in his writings. I sent him an email thanking him for standing for Phoebe, yesterday. He emailed me back last night with a simple "Thanks". Might be a repeat but it's a moving piece...
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/01/24/the_untouchable_mean_girls/
And so instead of confronting the evil among us, the reality that there are bullies roaming the corridors at South Hadley High, people are blaming the victim, looking for excuses why a 15-year-old girl would do this. People are in denial.
I have told my kids, I will always help you, but you have to work to keep yourself bully-proof in this environment. Bullying is heartbreaking, the victim's response early-on is key. It is not about blaming the victim, it is about facing reality.
My heart goes out to this family.
Eve
a local topix link with some VERY interesting comments around the time of Phoebe's death. "Gus" is an official, I can't recall offhand which one, the principal or super...
http://www.topix.com/city/south-had...ine-if-apparent-south-hadley-suicide#comments
Well, that was an interesting link. As of January 27 some random poster on a topix page knew the names of the EXACT four girls who were responsible for the torment, yet the school claimed that it didn't know what was going on. The four girls named by the poster are the four charged as adults so far in addition to the two boys.
jmoo
Jan 17, 2010 I work with a kid who was close to her. he has shown me provacative text messages that she sent him. When I saw the news last night, I immesiatly put 2 and 2 together. When I sAw him@ work today I asked him if he was okay and or whatever. He told me that she texted him before she took her own life, that on her walk home from school today, a car drove past jet and either the passenger and or the driver hung there heads out the wind and yelled sexual derrogatory remarks at her. According to my source.whom I know is 100% accurate. They called her a *advertiser censored*; ect. Those are the fact. It's none of my business
I appreciate your perspective as a teacher in the midst of the maelstrom that is public school, Eve. And I back you 100%.
So true that children have to learn to be "bully-proof" (read "self-reliant/self-defensive" to me), and not solely depend on those around them to stand up for them. Just yesterday I talked with my kindergartener as we drove home from school...she was telling me how some classmates were pushing and shoving in line and "not giving me my space." Then when she told them to stop they made whiny baby-voice taunts...you know how 6-year-olds can be. She stood her ground and in her strongest voice said "STOP. NOW."
My presumption is that she had her teacher's attention at that point (the one with the "No Bully Zone" poster on her classroom wall, LOL). I told my daughter that I was very proud of her and to keep standing up for herself and not take that crap. I hope in middle and high school and beyond, she continues to defend her boundaries and maintain self-respect and awareness of her surroundings, in the face of how very cruel people can be for no earthly reason.
I wish, I wish, that Phoebe had gone home and talked to her family again, or talked with a counselor at school, instead of the path she chose. I suppose everyone wishes that. But I hope she is at peace now.