ROCKY MOUNT 鈥 At a community forum in Rocky Mount on Tuesday, students, parents and residents came together to discuss the issue of bullying in schools that has been a growing concern in recent weeks.
The community forum was organized by Rocky Mount Mayor Holland Perdue following the death of 麻花视频 County student who died in March. Her parents believe she took her life after bullying from students at her elementary school.
Rocky Mount Mayor Holland Perdue was one of the speakers at a forum to address bullying held at the Harvester Performance Center on Tuesday.
鈥淏ullying isn鈥檛 just about a fist or threats,鈥 Perdue said at the start of Tuesday鈥檚 forum. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the constant whispering behind someone鈥檚 back. It鈥檚 the cruel posts on social media. It鈥檚 being made to feel like you don鈥檛 belong every single day. It is words that cut just as deep as violence. And the truth is, too many kids don鈥檛 know how to cope with that. That is why we have to talk to our children.鈥
Perdue encouraged parents to reach out to their children and allow them to feel comfortable about discussing any problems they may have in school or in their life. He said parents may know what is going on with their child but 鈥渒ids are experts at hiding their pain.鈥
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Connecting with youth who may be having problems was a sentiment shared by other speakers at Tuesday鈥檚 forum. Carol Young, Healing Strides CEO, said parents should find a safe space for their child to open up and talk about their day and any problems they may have. She said parents today have much more of a challenge with many of the new challenges that come with new technology and social media.
Robert Garrett with the Scouting America鈥檚 Blue Ridge Mountains Council encouraged those facing bullying to find resources to that provide help. He said their are people that can help whether it be with the scouts, teachers, school resource officers or parents.
鈥淵ou are not alone,鈥 Garrett said. 鈥淗elp is out there.鈥
Out of the more than 50 in attendance at Tuesday鈥檚 forum, a majority who spoke for a question-and-answer period at the end of the meeting were concerned parents. Some told stories of the school system not doing enough when their own child was being bullied in school.
Franklin County Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Siers was not one of the scheduled speakers Tuesday, but he spoke briefly from the audience to address some of the concerns from parents. He said it can sometimes be difficult for teachers to catch and address bullying in the classroom when they sometimes teach with more than 150 students each semester.
鈥淪ometimes the signs are not seen immediately,鈥 Siers said.
Students who fight sometimes both claim that the other student was bullying them, according to Siers. That can make finding the real bully more difficult.
Incidents don鈥檛 always fit their criteria for bullying as well, Siers said. That criteria is: an intent to harm, a perceived or real power imbalance and repeated incidents over time.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not always clear-cut,鈥 Siers said.
Some incidents of bullying can fall through the cracks, he said. Due to that, he said he could understand why parents can get frustrated.
Despite the issues, Siers said that Franklin County Public Schools do take reports of bullying seriously. He said they do not every want a child to feel unsafe going to school.
Following the hourlong discussion, Perdue thanked those in attendance for coming out. He also asked that work continue to address the issue of bullying in schools.
鈥淚 hope when we leave here tonight we understand that this doesn鈥檛 end here,鈥 Perdue said.
