WESTERLY — Educators are asking for the help of parents, families and the community to help stop incidents of bullying, racist statements and fighting primarily involving middle school-age children but other age groups as well.
District officials say a lot of the activity has occurred on social media sites and some of the fights have been recorded and posted to the sites.
Superintendent of Schools Mark Garceau on Friday said he had spent additional time at Westerly Middle School in recent days to gauge the situation and to speak with the school staff about ways to address some of the problems. Garceau said Paula Fusco, the middle school's principal, had informed him several times during the current school year of problems that apparently developed between students on weekends that spilled over into the school.
The situation reached a head during the week when a few parents contacted Garceau to inform him of a social media site on which fights between Westerly students were posted. Some of the fights occurred years ago, both on and off school grounds, but at least one occurred recently at the middle school. Additionally, a few people claimed in Facebook posts that their children had been bullied while at Westerly Middle School.
Local school officials also recently became aware of racially charged posts and provocations referring to Westerly schools and students posted on YikYak, a social media site that allows anonymous posts within a localized area, Garceau said.
In a message sent to Westerly Middle School families, Garceau asked parents to closely monitor their children's cellphones and which apps they use.
"Please know and monitor what your child is sending, receiving and doing on the phone that you are paying for and online," Garceau said in his letter. "Ask frequently to see what apps are being used and for what purpose. Good kids get caught up in dumb behavior and social media supports this like little else."
School officials have determined that some of the harassment and bullying incidents have started while middle school students attended Westerly High School athletic events by themselves without a parent. As result, the district is now prohibiting middle school students from attending the events unless they are accompanied by an adult.
"Any student (whether accompanied by an adult or not) whose behavior is deemed inappropriate will be asked to leave the venue and the Westerly Police will be asked to assist where needed," Garceau wrote.
Administrators are also looking for ways to reduce students' unsupervised time, such as when they pass in the hallways at Westerly Middle School, Garceau said.
While district officials want to and are obliged to work with all students and have found that the perpetrators of bullying and violence often have their own profound problems, Garceau said only so much compassion can be shown when incidents occur.
"If a kid is destructive or violent or threatening, I'm not averse to having them suspended or arrested. Every student has a right to feel free from fear or intimidation or the threat or perception of violence," Garceau said Friday.
District officials are also working with the Westerly Police Department. While the district currently only has one school resource officer on duty due to a police staffing shortage rather than the two that are budgeted for, Garceau said, police have increased their visibility at both Westerly Middle School and Westerly High School.
"A lot of times the perpetrators are struggling themselves so we have a degree of empathy, but only so much," Garceau said.
The culture or environment of Westerly Middle School has been challenging for years, Garceau said. He attributed some of the problems to the diverse student body that reflects the broad spectrum of socioeconomic levels in the town and said unfortunate rifts and taunts crop up with students from low-income neighborhoods sometimes being targeted and then responding.
School officials take all reports of bullying seriously, Garceau said. But he also said the term is sometimes overused or misconstrued.
"We have parents and some teachers who think every unkind statement or mean word is bullying. But what we mean when we talk about bullying is a pattern of behavior that makes any kid feel unwelcome in a classroom or one of our buildings," Garceau said. "That is an issue and people need to know they will be heard when they report those incidents, and the situations will be investigated."
Fusco and Police Chief Shawn Lacey could not be reached for comment for this article.
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School officials seek help from parents, community with student behavior issues - The Westerly Sun
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