PEABODY, Mass. — Since the death of Jason Bernard, Peabody School Committee meetings have been packed with parents, outraged over the issue of bullying in schools.
Jason’s family says he took his own life in May after he was bullied for two years at Higgins Middle School.
“It is difficult to swallow that it took a life for everyone to listen to things that have been said before,” said Cely Rosario, Jason’s sister. “You need to be held accountable for damaging someone’s spirit and interfering with their education.”
Jason’s sister says they’re pushing for accountability and changes in the school district, from stricter discipline, to training for teachers, parents and students.
Boston 25 News reporter Litsa Pappas brought her concerns to the mayor.
“Jason’s passing has left a real deep impact on the city of Peabody in so many ways,” said Mayor Ted Bettencourt of Peabody.
Ted Bettencourt says he’s already launching some real changes for the school district.
They’re opening a Mental Health Wellness center at Higgins Middle School this fall, staffed with two new full-time counselors.
“We felt that we needed to make this step to provide some additional resources and opportunities for students during the school day and maybe after school to be able to come in and maybe talk to somebody,” said Mayor Bettencourt.
Mayor Bettencourt says they’re also creating a Bullying Assessment team that will meet weekly to focus on students who may need extra support.
“There’s not a one solution to this issue and it is a major issue, it’s very real and being dealt with by all families in some way and it’s going to take a community effort, a unified effort to really make some improvement and help,” said Mayor Bettencourt.
Nearly one hundred people gathered this summer for the first Community Task Force meeting following Jason’s death.
It’s another way to brainstorm ideas.
“The task force is going to be comprised of health professionals, teachers, police officers, community leaders and just caring parents and people who want to be a part of trying to help,” said Mayor Bettencourt.
Boston 25 News asked a bullying expert what families can do at home to help their kids.
“It’s really good to have your antennae up and to detect these problems before they get to be really serious,” said Dr. Elizabeth Englander, executive director of MARC at Bridgewater State University.
Dr. Englander says if you learn your child is being bullied, talk to their school leaders to find out what anti-bullying protocol they have in place to come up with a safety plan.
You should also keep an eye on your child’s social media since a lot of bullying happens online, and you should call police if the behavior becomes criminal, including threats, violence or stalking.
“There’s policies, there’s training, there’s handouts, but if it’s not implemented, then out of sight out of mind,” said Rosario.
Jason’s family is hoping for hands-on training for students to really recognize the dangers of bullying for the long-term.
“In our heart we’re looking to find peace and comfort and a new normal without Jason, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to fight for justice and for what is right, like we don’t want it to happen to another child,” said Rosario.
Mayor Bettencourt also says he’d like to see some changes on the state level since school leaders are restricted on how they can discipline bullying.
He says it may be time to make the punishment more severe for bullies to make it clear this behavior will not be tolerated in schools.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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