Schools

Bullying In Evanston Schools: Here's What D-65 Parents Are Saying

Respondents to a Patch survey who said their child experienced bullying attributed much of the problem to other parents.

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Jonah Meadows, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

GLENVIEW, IL — Bullying prevention programs in Evanston/Skokie District 65 schools received mixed reviews in an informal survey of Patch readers. The unscientific sampling of self-identified respondents who said their children attend local schools provided anecdotal feedback about how parents feel administrators are doing in countering the menace of bullying.

One District 65 parent said the response to reports of bullying from administrators was insufficient.

"My daughter was bullied in 2nd grade by another girl consistently and the other girls parents were never told. A full year," the respondent said. "Same girl is doing it this year. Seriously doubt they told them. It’s like they're not mentioning it so it doesn’t go on record or something."

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Other responses to a question asking what kinds of bullying prevention parents have seen in the district included, "nothing," "nada," "not much" and "little to moderate."

One parent recommended the district "think beyond the classroom" when it comes to preventing bullying.

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"There's a pervasive 'mean girls' culture in the D65 elementary schools, at least in the north part of town. It's supported (yes, supported) by Queen Bee moms who encourage their girls to be exclusive," the parent said.

Another respondent said three of their children had been bullied, and two of them had been physically assaulted.

"It's not the school so much it is the parents," the District 65 and Evanston Township High School parent said, recommending administrators "seriously talk with the parents and have teachers be more involved."

When asked how the district can better better address bullying, another Evanston parent recommended administrators "stop rehashing generic emailed messages and start acting on it.

Read More: Bullying: How Evanston 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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