Alice, I too see the same happening. In an out of school environment the infliction of injury & threat is a criminal act of assult & battery. Was someone charged (if not why not?) or did the school sweep this away. If so then the school can & should be held responsible, for if they cannot provide a safe environment for children they should know that doing nothing lends to a more violent environment & fosters more abuse. When we fought our school system our children were singled out & dealt with in a way that would make a leg breaker pleased with the advancements made in the areas of intimidation. We needed to arm ourselves with federal law in order to get some education for our kids, sad sight.

Frank, my point was that parents provide the most for their kids but everyone around also has an effect. If you're doing a great job & your kid goes to school with the aim to learn & they're attacked then the school again victimizes them by making the victim the one who's to blame. Now if the neighborhood they are encompassed in is also home to the same bullies & no one says a thing then your kid is most likely to be in danger & it doesn't matter if you know it or not. I grew up getting a very poor education so I know first hand the cost of not having one, my neighborhood was riddled with violence, I had very loving parents but it takes more. I fought for what schooling I could get, I fought to stay there, I fought for love & compassion & I fought my way past prison, drugs, thugs, gangs, preachers, most I knew never made it & now I fight tooth & nail for my kids & it always seems like it's against the odds. The odds shouldn't be stacked against kids, when they are the results are tragic & all indicators point to things getting worst not better. How often do you hear parents & neighbors express shock & suprise at the actions of someone they thought they knew. Barry