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Bullied Irish suicide girl Phoebe Prince was 'chased around school'

APRIL DREW,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Thursday, February 11, 2010, 11:06 AM

Updated Friday, February 12, 2010, 2:47 PM

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News / Worried parents step up anti-bully efforts at elementary school / Click here

Students of South Hadley High School said that 15-year-old Irish girl Phoebe Prince was "chased around the perimeter of the school" while teachers did nothing shortly before she took her own life.

Some pupils who knew Prince well told the Boston Herald that she was chased by a group of bullies who weren't happy with the fact that Phoebe had a date with a senior football player.

The students also elaborated on the forms of bullying Prince underwent, including online harassment and text messages, before she hung herself in her home in South Hadley last month.

Prince, from Co. Clare but living in South Hadley, Massachusetts since last September with her family, took her own life after a tirade of verbal and cyber bullying.

And now students at South Hadley High are speaking out against the type of bullying the Irish girl suffered weeks before her death.

The Irish American mayor of nearby Waltham, Jeanette McCarthy, is taking a strong stance on bullying in schools and takes swift action against this kind of behavior.

An 11-year-old fifth grader in Waltham was recently criminally charged with bulling classmates so severely they were "petrified" to go to school, and now parents of school kids in South Hadley are seeking similar charges to be brought against Prince's bullies.

Presently the students responsible for Prince's bullying have been suspended from school, but they have not been charged with anything.

“You have to send a message to the children who are doing it, and the children being victimized,” said McCarthy,

After McCarthy learned of the bullying in the Fitzgerald Elementary School on January 22 - a father whose son was viciously assaulted by a fifth-grader, she took immediate action, aware of the actions Prince took only a few weeks before in South Hadley allegedly because of bullying.

Moments after discovering that this boy was being bullied, McCarthy, who grew up in housing projects, sent an e-mail of the superintendent of schools outlining the bullying, ordered the school's safety officer to call the parents and take a statement and called the Waltham police.

“There are a lot of kids afraid to go to school in this world, and if you can’t go to school, where the heck can you go?" she said.

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GuinnessGrrl | Mar 29, 2010, 07:38 PM EDT

Parents need to teach their kids to stand up to bullies. Bullies are cowards at heart and standing up to them is the only way to stop their bullying.

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macstwo | Mar 04, 2010, 07:45 AM EST

My sincere condolances to the family of the young lady. One can only wonder what kind of nitwits these bullies had for parents. It all starts in the home, of course it appears most parents today have no concept of parental responsibility, what a shame their kids have ruined their lives. They belong in prison for an extended period of time, they of course won't get anything so drastic because the Judicial system of the Commonwealth is run by a bunch bleeding heart fat cat pols. So the life of a young lady has been wasted, what a comment on our society.

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ericalaughlin | Feb 16, 2010, 12:21 PM EST

No I have not exaggerated at all. You know, this issue is really bad. There are so many different factors. Trust me when I say, I absolutely see more kids being awful to their parents than I see the other way around. If you think I'm exaggerating, then don't read it. The rudeness is not necessary. This issue is one that keeps me up at night. I have 4 children...one graduates this year. The other three still have several years to go. I'd like to see them get through these next few years without being harmed physically or emotionally. I'd also like to see that no child ever has to go through this torment. I'm at a loss as to where to begin to fix this. People keep saying that it's bully parents raising bully kids. That's simply not true. In some cases it is, but the majority is not. It's either parents who truly have no idea or it's parents who are afraid of their own kids. I see it all the time...if you choose to think it's an exaggeration, it doesn't change that it is a fact.

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MAGHNUS | Feb 15, 2010, 05:23 PM EST

those students who bullied her should be criminally charged, not suspended from school...what good is giving them a short vacation going to do them...

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Temerity | Feb 15, 2010, 05:09 PM EST

ericalaughlin,I think you have exaggerated your story to make a point haven't you?.The percentage of children who can bully their parents and treat them badly cannot be that large.Not too many people who have managed to survive to adulthood and bear children are that weak. However the number of parents who encourage bullying by examples of aggressive behaviour and egging their children on are rife.Making parents accountable is a great step in the right direction.Parents too stupid to admit they have rotten apples for kids should get a wake up call.For their kids sake as well as their own and the sake of the community.Those ancient Brehon laws you talk about sound good to me.

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ericalaughlin | Feb 14, 2010, 04:57 PM EST

SeamusRua and LiamDavid...you are both very right in what you say. Having 4 kids...I see a lot of how kids behave both in front of their parents and the second their parents are out of sight. There are some kids I've seen who put on a halo when they are in front of their parents but the horns blow the halo right off the second the parents backs are turned. There are a lot of parents who believe their children are precious little innocents who can do no wrong. The biggest mistake one can make as a parent is to assume that your child can do no wrong. The other thing I see WAAAYYY to much of is kids who actually bully their parents. Seriously. If anything I see more kids swearing at their parents, yelling at them, calling them names, belittling them, being not only fresh but downright mean and cruel TO THEIR OWN PARENTS!!! Doesn't matter to me who it is, I'll say "Don't you ever speak that way to another person in front of me.". I coached cheerleading a few years back and had to actually threaten to toss a girl off the team if she was caught mouthing off to her mother again. My point being...the parents aren't always the bullies. Sometimes they are afraid of their own kids, for whatever reason. Sometimes they choose to look the other way because they don't want to believe that their child could be a shit. And sometimes there are very good parents out there who simply do not know how their children truly are. No one tells them.

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SeamusRua | Feb 13, 2010, 06:37 PM EST

To follow up on what LiamDavid wrote; I agree. The ancient Brehon laws were based upon common sense and the punishments that were rendered truly did fit the crime. I believe the parents of those that tormented that poor girl should be made to suffer even more than their offspring for allowing them to become as they have shown themselves to be. Amadán they may be now; but true justice should correct, wisely, even the amadán.

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ciarrai | Feb 13, 2010, 04:50 PM EST

Why are the South Hadley police and school authorities so hesitant to go after those children, parents and school administrators responsible for Phoebe's death? They need to show some backbone. I would love to have a session with these so-called "bullies". Their bullying days would be behind them and they would be solid citizens. That is what happens when "bullies" are frightened.

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LiamDavid | Feb 13, 2010, 02:31 AM EST

These are children, mimicking adults that are about them. And heaven preserve us, should some dafted amadán make the statement “kids will be kids”! And wouldn’t that same sad example of an adult, take a stick to anyone that hurt his child? Full Accountability is required on the part of all offending parties, so as to weigh and balance this terrible crime. In ancient times, the Brehon or judges of our ancestors, adjudicated laws covering everything from the silly to the serious. If your cow wandered off and destroyed your neighbor’s property, there were precise remedies that the Brehon would pronounce. It was these laws and customs observed by our ancestors, that kept our race civilized. Like this case of our young school girl, Phoebe Prince, who was bullied, embarrassed, and driven to take her own life, there must be accountability on the part of all offending children and parents, who failed in properly supervising their charges. This was no small matter, and young Phoebe must be thought of as a daughter to us all. Full accountability, will be the only true balance in this matter. Sláinte.

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Liamkeyes | Feb 12, 2010, 05:47 PM EST

It begs the question about "the Bullies" home life. Obviously, their parents would go to the wall for them if they are accused, pleading that everybody is "picking on their kids'. With that kind of mindset, it makes it difficult for the School Admistration to do anything about it. However, it's a problem that has to be addressed head on and the time is ripe for action albeit a little late for Phobe and her Family.

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Bmajach | Feb 12, 2010, 05:01 PM EST

I hope they get a severe punishment..I am 52 and was treat like an outcast in school, why..because I was about 25 lbs overweight..It hurt, but the plus side, it did make me a stronger woman...

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myravancouver | Feb 12, 2010, 11:48 AM EST

Finally some common sense, in that a bully is charged with a crime. I don't hear anyone talking about charging the parents of any of the bullies, or removal of the bullies from their homes. We treat abused animals better than this.

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avemaria | Feb 12, 2010, 09:06 AM EST

this is very tragic-shame on the teachers who watched this and did nothing-they have an obligation to protect as well as educate children on their watch-these bullies should be prosecuted-and the school should expel the bullies while the law prosecutes them-there should also be mandatory education for the parents of these bullies so this does not happen again.

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ericalaughlin | Feb 11, 2010, 07:16 PM EST

I can't stand this. There was so much outrage and grief here. Now it's all quiet, died down....and nothing has changed. Nothing has changed. What is disgusting me almost more than what those girls did is the lack of concern from people in this town who have not been directly affected. I don't see outrage from parents whose children have NOT been bullied in some way. Instead what I'm seeing a lot of is "Well, most of the students are really great kids." or "The media is not posting the entire story and the kids are sick of all the lies." or "It's not that bad. It happens in all schools." I also hear a lot of passing the buck...it's the parents, it's the kids, it's the school officials and teachers. I've even heard that Phoebe didn't report any of the torment. Why should she have to if the entire school, teachers included, KNEW she was being tormented? I can't stand this. The schools that my children are still enrolled in are no better. I'm about ready to homeschool because NO ONE does anything other than pass the blame and try to absolve themselves. The kids are still harming each other...physically and emotionally....and the only people who seem to care are those who have been on the receiving end of it in some way or another. PLEASE don't let this issue and this story fade away. The children who have suffered and continue to suffer are too important to forget.

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maxriley | Feb 11, 2010, 04:33 PM EST

VERY SAD SITUATION,SO WHERE'S THE ACCOUNTABILITY

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