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SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. --
Hundreds of parents met in South Hadley on Tuesday night as an anti-bullying task force mobilized weeks after a case of bullying so extreme it drove a 15-year-old girl to end her life.
Phoebe Prince, a freshman at South Hadley High School, died Jan. 14., and two students accused of bullying the 15-year-old have been expelled. A police investigation could also lead to criminal charges.
Prince is thought to have committed suicide after allegedly enduring abuse online and in school from female classmates who were upset that Prince, 15, a sophomore who had recently moved to the U.S. from Ireland, was dating a senior football player.
While there are some in South Hadley who were also calling for the resignation of the high school Principal Daniel T. Smith and the Superintendent Gus A. Sayer, the prevailing mood in town is that its time to move on to make something positive out of something very tragic.
There was standing room only at the first anti-bullying task force meeting at South Hadley High School.
"We need to make something positive out of this and to start now. Tonight is the first step," said Al Tower, of South Hadley.
"These students' lives have also been dramatically altered, and they won't be graduating from South Hadley High School," Smith said of the students who were expelled.
Those calling for the resignation of the high school principal are in a distinct minority.
"It shouldn't take the death of this girl to wake up people to this problem, and so I think you need a new superintendent," said Dan Czitrom, a South Hadley parent.
Smith was moved to tears by an overwhelming show of support.
Breaking up into smaller groups, some parents said the task force is long overdue. Nichole Myslinski dropped out because of bullying a month before Prince's death.
"I felt so bad for her (Prince). If I would have stayed here, it would have happened to me, too. Girls here are just so cruel," Myslinski said.
Next comes the hard work to take the anger, hurt and frustration and turn it into a long-range effort to change student behavior in school and beyond. The bullying task force will meet weekly through the remainder of the school year.
The Northwestern District Attorney’s Office and South Hadley police were continuing to investigate the Prince case
Hundreds of parents met in South Hadley on Tuesday night as an anti-bullying task force mobilized weeks after a case of bullying so extreme it drove a 15-year-old girl to end her life.
Phoebe Prince, a freshman at South Hadley High School, died Jan. 14., and two students accused of bullying the 15-year-old have been expelled. A police investigation could also lead to criminal charges.
Prince is thought to have committed suicide after allegedly enduring abuse online and in school from female classmates who were upset that Prince, 15, a sophomore who had recently moved to the U.S. from Ireland, was dating a senior football player.
While there are some in South Hadley who were also calling for the resignation of the high school Principal Daniel T. Smith and the Superintendent Gus A. Sayer, the prevailing mood in town is that its time to move on to make something positive out of something very tragic.
There was standing room only at the first anti-bullying task force meeting at South Hadley High School.
"We need to make something positive out of this and to start now. Tonight is the first step," said Al Tower, of South Hadley.
"These students' lives have also been dramatically altered, and they won't be graduating from South Hadley High School," Smith said of the students who were expelled.
Those calling for the resignation of the high school principal are in a distinct minority.
"It shouldn't take the death of this girl to wake up people to this problem, and so I think you need a new superintendent," said Dan Czitrom, a South Hadley parent.
Smith was moved to tears by an overwhelming show of support.
Breaking up into smaller groups, some parents said the task force is long overdue. Nichole Myslinski dropped out because of bullying a month before Prince's death.
"I felt so bad for her (Prince). If I would have stayed here, it would have happened to me, too. Girls here are just so cruel," Myslinski said.
Next comes the hard work to take the anger, hurt and frustration and turn it into a long-range effort to change student behavior in school and beyond. The bullying task force will meet weekly through the remainder of the school year.
The Northwestern District Attorney’s Office and South Hadley police were continuing to investigate the Prince case
This is just ridiculous. Chicks need to chill the fuck out. Just because they are jealous she is getting a guy they probably always wanted. Tragic.
