Schools

Bullying In Deerfield Schools: Here's What Parents Are Saying

Some parents described frustration with administrators' response to bullying in Deerfield School District 109 and Deerfield High School.

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DEERFIELD, IL — Bullying prevention programs in Deerfield elementary and high schools received mixed reviews in an informal survey of Patch readers. The unscientific sampling of self-identified respondents who said their children attend schools provided anecdotal feedback about how parents feel administrators are doing in countering the menace of bullying.

District efforts at bullying prevention received positive reviews from a small minority of respondents who identified themselves as parents in Deerfield School District 109 or Township High School District 113.

"I think they do a good job," responded one District 109 parent, who said their child had been struck by a student that physically bullies them. The respondent cited the district's social-emotional learning curriculum and efforts to promote kindness, awareness of the problem and parental involvement to prevent bullying.

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"It’s present in small amounts but there is so much awareness now, the impact on students is minimal," the parent said.

Most other respondents disagreed. Historically, District 109's anti-bullying policies have been "horribly" enforced, according to a respondent who said they had two children go through the district.

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"The admins talk a good game but don’t walk the walk," the parent said. "Both of my children were severely bullied in 109. Different set of circumstances and different forms. Both situations were not handled well and have caused long lasting emotional and social distress. I will NEVER forgive 109 for their inability to stop the bullying despite very concrete evidence and reporting of the incidents."

One respondent said the bullying in Deerfield schools had not only been perpetrated by students. Teachers have also been involved, they said, calling on administrators to take reports of bullying by teachers more seriously.

"Bullying by a teacher lead to many elementary aged students wanting to harm themselves or be further bullied by classmates," the parent said, citing the case of a teacher at Walden Elementary School who was issued a notice of remedial warning by the board at its Dec. 10, 2018, meeting. "Despite year after year children reporting desires of self harm, the administration put her back into a 3rd grade classroom this year."

A different parent of a District 109 student said parents of bullies need to be held more accountable.

"[School administrators] met with the student but no disciplinary actions have been taken," they said, suggesting the district's policy "needs to be stronger."

Another parent described the district's bullying prevention measures as "lots of talk, little action," and suggested administrators "model kindness."

At a minimum, a Deerfield High School parent who did not wish to be named due to fear of retribution said, parents of those found to be bullying other students should be notified. They said another student had bullied their child out of jealously.

"After I called they pulled the kids into the office then dean's office spoke with them and that was it. I was not given an update, no apologies were given, and the other parents were not notified citing to the privacy of those kids, but what about the rights and privacy of my kid and the knowledge I had? This disgusts me that the district basically did nothing and there was no consequence as I had to deal with my child being bullied and the emotional abuse she endured over about a week," the parent said.

The Deerfield parent recommended administrators make sure there are clear consequences to bullying that are discussed throughout the year with students, using real-world examples of past incidents.

"[DHS] also took days to follow up even after I first contacted them. When behavior continued after my voice was not being heard and excuses made I had to make an urgent call. I nipped this behavior in the bud quickly because my kids are open to me but can’t imagine how many parents are clueless."

Read More: Bullying: How Deerfield Schools Tackle The Issue

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The regional parent survey, timed to coincide with National Bullying Prevention Month in October, was posted on dozens of Patch sites in Illinois and in the Midwest. The survey is not scientific, but could be considered a broad indicator of parents' feelings about the seriousness of bullying in their schools and communities.

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As of Friday, Oct. 18, more than 460 parents responded to this regional Patch survey. The key findings were:

  • Nearly 71 percent of parents said their children had been bullied at least once.
  • Nearly 65 percent had been bullied this school year.

These informal findings should be compared to statistics compiled in more scientific surveys, which note that:

The Menace Of Bullies: Patch Advocacy Reporting Project

As part of a national reporting project, Patch has been looking at society's roles and responsibilities in bullying and a child's unthinkable decision to end their own life in hopes we might offer solutions that save lives.

Do you have a story to tell?

Are you concerned about how your local schools handle bullies and their victims?

Email us at bullies@patch.com and share your views in the comments.

Selected Stories From The Project

From No Bully, Patch News Partner

From The Experts

What We've Learned

Patch staff contributed. Spelling and punctuation have been corrected in some parent responses.

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