An angry parent and handful of her supporters rallied in the rain outside John Robson Elementary school at lunch time last Thursday because she says the school isn’t doing enough to protect her child from bullying.
Shannon Hecker is uphappy with the school's handling of a situation between her daughter, who's in Grade 3, and a fellow student.
"I sent an email to the principal. I cc'd it to everybody above her and below her and also the school liaison - all been documented and nothing's been done," she said. "They responded to me, but they would not acknowledge it as bullying, and it is."
One run-in, she said, involved her daughter having to get three stitches on her chin after an incident that involved her daughter falling in gym class.
Hecker believes her daughter was tripped but indicates that there were questions about whether she fell on her own.
"Although the whole class witnessed this event, nobody would stand up, nobody would stand up and say what happened, and I know my daughter is telling the truth," Hecker told the media that gathered as she spoke, carrying a traditional First Nations drum.
There were about eight outside the school with Hecker, carrying bright pink anti-bullying signs as one of them burned sage.
"When this behaviour is being ignored, it's tolerated and it's accepted because nobody takes a stand, and that's why we are here today," she shouted to the media that gathered around her.
Hecker also took on the entire pink shirt anti-bullying movement.
"As a result of today's action, I've created a new page on Facebook, Pink Wave. It is a reaction to the ineffectiveness of the anti-bullying campaign that goes on at schools all across the country ... where they sell pink T-shirts and pink bracelets. I see it as a capitalist scheme to sell pink merchandise. It does nothing to protect children. Absolutely nothing," she bellowed to media.
Bullying is a case of "structural violence" that is bigger than one child, she said.
"We need a grassroots movement - a task force of parents," Hecker said. "I think it needs to be parents who are coming and getting involved because of direct bullying situations. I have no problem with PAC (parent advisory council) to be involved, but I think it's up to parents to be involved - start their own pink wave."
John Robson's parent advisory council chair Serena Trachta turned up at the rally, not as a protestor but to hear Hecker's concerns.
"I'm very sorry for the parent. Obviously to bring her to this position, to be this upset about something, to obviously feel this unheard about this very important issue, it is tragic," she said. "The school works very hard to minimize the events of bullying - bullying happens. It's going to happen. Kids do things. This is part of where they are learning about boundaries and part of the school of the school's responsibility and our job as parents is to give them tools to be able to overcome that and be able to constructively channel their frustrations and their anger and their feelings, so yes, there are instances that we hear about bullying. I would not say that they are overwhelming. I'll say that there are enough to say it's not eradicated."
As far as Hecker's daughter's situation, Trachta said she had suggested a therapist come to the class and and talk with the two students.
"They are looking into doing that," said Trachta.
Superintendent John Woudzia wrote in an email to The Record that he was aware of the lunch hour rally.
"While it would not be appropriate to comment on the specific aspects of this particular situation, please note that the district does follow specific practices when dealing with student conflict, including bullying, at the school level. Furthermore, these actions are informed by individual schools' codes of conduct which are described in district policy," he wrote. "This policy addresses topics such as behavioural expectations, consequences for unacceptable conduct, bullying behaviour, and responsibility to report. I have spoken with administration at John Robson school and believe that they have attempted to resolve this matter working within the framework of the policy and practices as described above."
If a parent does not agree with a decision made by an employee of the school district, the option to formally appeal the decision beyond the school level does exist and is described in detail in district policy, he noted.
