BULLYING NIGHTMARE: Middletown teen 'used to love to go to school'
MIDDLETOWN -- An ongoing campaign of bullying at Woodrow Wilson Middle School has left one student off school property and with severe mental trauma. And despite the fact that two of the original antagonists have moved out of Middletown, the harassment persists, according to Alexa McClain, grandmother of 13-year-old Monique McClain.
The McClain family has spoken at several Board of Education meetings about the repeated bullying against the 13-year-old -- the victim herself pleading with the board to let her have a tutor so she can still continue her education.
"I used to love to go to school," Monique McClain told the school board of Feb. 8. "But now it's too dangerous and someone is going to get hurt. Please let me have a tutor. I know I'll miss all my teachers, but at least I'll be safe."
The incessant bullying has caused enough damage that the victim can no longer attend school, and her mother, Alycia, currently picks up her assignments.
Police reports indicate several incidents at the victim's home, some of which revolved around threatening text messages and messages sent on Myspace.
Three bullying complaint forms -- one of which had five different incidents on it -- were filed with the school district, Alexa McClain said, but there were more incidents which may have gone undocumented. However, the McClains say police and state authorities have been responsive to the family's concerns.
Middletown Police Officer Robert Kraeger responded the victim's home Dec. 30 after she received a threatening message sent via Myspace, according to a police report. The message, sent by another juvenile, states in part that "yhur [sic] a (expletive) snitch & I just wanna like beat you the (expletive) up. The more yhu [sic] keep snitching on me in school the moree [sic] it makes me tougher."
The December report states that Woodrow Wilson Middle School administrators were aware of the issues between the victim and the accused, who has not been identified due to her age, but police were unable to contact the accused bully's mother at the time.
Kraeger followed up on the complaint on Jan. 4, speaking to Woodrow Wilson Vice Principal Diane Niles. Niles imposed an in-school suspension on the accused, who was also brought to Niles's office to speak with police. The juvenile admitted to sending the message and was ordered to have no contact with the victim, either in-person, via telephone or online, according to police.
One day later, Kraeger spoke to Alycia McClain, who said her daughter received another threatening message from the same person. The mother requested the sender be arrested, but after speaking with the sender's mother, Lawanda Perry, she changed her mind, police said. Perry said she was unaware of the incident and would speak with the school's vice principal.
The initial dispute revolved around a haircut, which Detective Derek Puorro responded to during his time as the Woodrow Wilson school resource officer, officials said. Puorro spoke with Alycia McClain on Sept. 9 in response to a bullying complaint. The report states that two eighth-grade girls had teased Monique McClain on the bus due to her hairstyle, calling her a "biter" the whole week. Puorro referred the victim to fill out a formal bullying complaint with the school.
A number of the bullying incidents occurred on the bus to and from school, according to the victim's counsel, but Middletown police reports indicate police have responded to harassment and assault complaints at the victim's home several times from September through Dec. 30, 2010. One of these incidents involved an antagonist following the victim to her apartment, despite being placed on a no-trespassing list. This juvenile, along with her friend -- who lived at the same apartment complex as the victim -- has since moved to New Britain, but not before recruiting more help, the McClains said.
The two latest antagonists have poured syrup in the victim's hair, sent threatening text messages and -- in one case -- skipped class to assault the victim. The latter incident's alleged perpetrator also posted several messages on her own Facebook wall in reference to disciplinary measures taken by the school, including in-school suspension.
According to a Jan. 31 letter from licensed clinical social worker Jessica Backer Wilde, the victim "is presenting with symptoms of mood lability, difficulty focusing, increased isolation and anxiety in the school environment" and consequently "continues to feel unsafe at school."
"She is constantly in fear of what fellow students might do or say to her and is often approached by these peers," Backer Wilde continues. "Her academics are suffering as she is unable to focus or concentrate while at school."
The letter recommends that the victim be placed in an alternate school "so that she can learn in a safe environment."
Alexa McClain confirmed that Alycia McClain has an appointment to speak with Capitol Preparatory Magnet School principal Steve Perry, thanks in part to increased media attention. Edison Middle School, a magnet school in Meriden, could be an option, but the victim needs to enter a lottery for placement.
If no other help can be found, though, the McClain family has litigious routes to pursue. Alexa McClain confirmed that the state Department of Children and Families contacted Alycia McClain about the repeated bullying. According to Alexa McClain, if the Middletown Board of Education does not find a school for the victim, the department encouraged Alycia McClain to press charges against the Board of Education.