To the editor:
Parents pull son from school Our son is in Grade 7 at E'cole Gron Morgan School and is having a very positive experience there.
His life has completely turned around since changing from Algonquin Avenue School. His situation there was nothing short of a nightmare.
From the beginning of Grade 2, he had been bullied by many boys; one boy in particular that was at the forefront of this bullying. It continued year after year and although we talked to teachers, vice principals and principals it was swept under the rug each and every time.
We wondered why our son, the victim, should have to leave the only school he had known. When we asked why the bully shouldn't be removed, we were told that wouldn't happen because "every child deserves an education."
We weren't trying to deny this kid an education, we just wanted him to get it somewhere else. Each time my son would come home with black eyes and scrapes, the child involved would be suspended for two days - a mini-vacation for any kid.
We can't completely blame this boy for his actions because he must be lacking parental direction at home.
We called the police. our MPP twice, the board of education, the Ministry of Education and any local official we could think of, to no avail. We finally gave up at the end of November and removed our son from Algonquin.
We are now in the position of wanting to thank this bully as our son's class at Ecole has embraced and welcomed him with open arms. He now has a classroom full of friends and girls that have secret crushes.
Please parents of children who are being bullied: don't believe the "zero tolerance" you hear about at the schools regarding bullying, because it is not true. At least at Algonquin they tolerate bullying and look the other way when the issue arises. Thank you, Ecole Gron Morgan from the bottom of our hearts.
Pam Dekker,
Thunder Bay
