MANHCESTER--After at least three Manchester parents came forward saying their kids are being bullied at Washington Elementary, the school took action, arranging a meeting between a mother of a victim, and the mother of his bully. Now, that mom says she feels some sense of resolution.
Candy Lopez says, “I actually got to speak to Ms. Strong and find out why her son's doing what he did.”
The administration requested that Ebony Strong come and meet Candy Lopez to talk about why Lopez’s son felt he was being bullied by her son. In tears, Strong told FOX 61, “If I found out the first time it happened, I could've put a stop to it. Again, I didn't find out until three months later which is very concerning and disturbing to me.”
Strong says she was just made aware of her son’s behavior.
Superintendent Matt Geary says the school intervenes when it's deemed appropriate. Geary said, “Depending on the allegation, we would investigate. If we got to a place where we substantiated bullying, or even significant mean spirited behavior, it's likely we would notify parents. I would say the second time for sure, we'd notify parents. There's some language in the policy where sometimes we would try to bring parents together which can go really well or not well."
In this case, Strong and Lopez walked away feeling better. Strong says her son is without his father and is having a hard time.
Strong said, “I'm teaching him to be nice and kind. Saying mean, hurtful things can really do damage to people.”
Lopez says since Strong learned about her son's behavior last week and addressed it, her son, Louis, hasn't been picked on.
It may take some time for the boys to develop a friendship, but the moms hit it off immediately. Strong has even become a member of Lopez's newly formed group to stop bullying.
Lopez said, “We actually have an insider whose son was a bully and she can help parents of other kids bullied.”
Geary could only speak in general terms about the bullying policy, but he says the administration will always listen to the kids and parents. Most times, with younger children, he says the teachers talk it out with them on the first complaint.
Geary said, “Depending on the allegation, we would investigate. If we got to a place where we substantiated bullying, or even significant mean spirited behavior, it's likely we would notify parents. Are there situations in the district where we removed a kid from the class or the building? Yeah.”
Geary says for the most part, he doesn't believe in out-of-school suspension.
“Unless we figure out why and treat the cause of the behavior, that behavior will continue and we can continue issuing consequences. Sometimes we do, but our goal is really to find out what is the reason behind the behavior,” he said.
Geary says the students are well aware of bully-like behavior. In fact, they incorporate social thinking into the daily curriculum using characters to relate to their feeling and what the appropriate response should be.
“We want kids to be flexible, adaptable, thoughtful, considerate, and we want to teach skills that will help with those behaviors, “ said Geary.
The meeting Lopez is holding will be Friday night at 5 p.m. at 48 Purnell Place in Manchester.