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Bullying In Lake Forest Schools: Here's What Parents Are Saying

Parents give mixed reviews to bullying prevention policies at local schools.

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LAKE FOREST, IL — Bullying prevention programs in Lake Bluff and Lake Forest school districts 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 some positive reviews from those who identified as parents of Lake Forest High School students — although multiple respondents brought up bullying in the context of the school's sports programs.

"There is a culture at the high school where it feels like some of the athletes are not held to the same disciplinary standards across the various teams," one response said, recommending "strict enforcement from the athletic department. Rules should be enforced consistently."

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Individual experiences led parents to contrast how bullying has been handled at the high school compared to its feeder districts.

"In [District] 67 it was taken care of and stopped. In [District] 115 a coach and students were in on it as part of the sport’s culture," one said, pointing out the district's response varies on a case-by-case basis. Administrators should "look at the culture of what's allowed on some teams," recommended the respondent, who said their child had been teased or called names, intentionally excluded from activities or groups and had their belongings stolen.

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"In [Lake Bluff Middle School] the bullying had a real effect on the children's self esteem. Since the bully was a girl, it really only impacted the [girls'] feelings about themselves," one parent said. "That bully never seemed to have any consequences no matter how many children she bullied." The parent said the high school seems to do a good job of not allowing bullying.

While some parents of elementary and middle school students called for stricter discipline for bullies, others said they were unsure about existing policies.

"I think we are in a district with good policies and a lot of kids under a lot of pressure," one respondent said.

"I think parents need to really look at the definition of bullying. Often their child is being left out or excluded. This is [not] bullying in my opinion," another responded. "So therefore people may have the perception of bullying being a problem [whereas in] reality, it’s something more on the lines of kids changing their social atmosphere"

One respondent said they felt school administrators approach bullying by speaking to the children involved individually.

"This is not right. The kids need to be brought in together to learn how to communicate the situation and man up to the reality of what’s happening in the eyes and minds of all involved," they said.

Some respondents criticized their district's anti-bullying policies:

"Bullying occurs with impunity," one said, describing policies in Lake Forest School District 67 as "only rhetoric no action."

"Lots of talk, no action, hard to witness," another said, suggesting the district "force more interaction" as a way to better address bullying.

"My student doesn’t want to go to school. Feels physically sick," one parent of a Lake Forest High School student said. The parent said administrators do not know about most of the bullying that goes on at the school and recommended the district ban phones inside the school business.

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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.

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