South Hadley,MA Phoebe Prince 15 kills self over bullying

[Paladine]

Arraignments of three 16-year-old girls accused of bullying the late Phoebe Prince have been set for Thursday in Franklin-Hampshire Juvenile Court here, Clerk-Magistrate Christopher Reavey said. South Hadley residents Ashley Longe, Flannery Mullins and Sharon Chanon Velazquez will be arraigned at 2 p.m. on charges of violation of civil rights with bodily injury resulting. Mullins and Velazquez also face one charge each of stalking.

While the public is usually barred from proceedings in juvenile court, the arraignments will be open because the girls are being charged as youthful offenders. Teen-agers aged 14 through 17 may be charged as youthful offenders if they are arraigned on a violent felony charge. Violation of civil rights with bodily injury resulting is considered a violent felony, according to Reavey

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/3_more_arraignments_set_in_pho.html

 

[Paladine]

Boy, this sure is getting play in Ireland...

Headline? "Teenager Phoebe Prince called Irish *advertiser censored* for dating star" blunt but true...

Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/n...*-for-dating-star-14752904.html#ixzz0jusuveG5

 

[Paladine]

"Even in South Hadley, parents say Prince was not the only one being bullied.

My son has been subjected to physical, emotional and verbal abuse, called an idiot, called a loser,” parent Lisa Gustafson said.

Added Abby Peaker, “It was the most horrific thing I’ve had to watch my child go through, and see her spiral into a downward spiral and lose her spirit.”

http://www.vx50.com/latest-news/mean-girls-cyberbullying-blamed-for-teen-suicides/

 

[Paladine]

"Parent describes Phoebes last few days at school"

"Indeed, on the day Phoebe died, one of the accused bullies wrote “accomplished” as her status on her Facebook page, according to the mother of a schoolmate of Prince, who requested anonymity because she fears reprisals against her daughter"

"Sayer has said school officials first learned of the bullying Jan. 7, a week before she died, when a student walked into a classroom and called Prince a “*advertiser censored*” in front of teacher. The student, he said, was punished. “She bore a lot of this stuff herself,” Sayer said of Phoebe.

Yet three days before Prince’s death, a student told a staffer about an obscene picture someone had scrawled over Prince in a class photo at school, according to the student’s mother. The staffer took the photo down, but it’s unclear whether she reported it. Phoebe had to go into that classroom and see that on one of the last days of her life,” said the woman"

Library incident, the day she died>

"In that incident, a group of students ganged up on Prince, calling her names in front of a staff member as one of them blocked the door, the student’s mother said.

"Sayer disputes that account.

“I don’t believe (the staffer) witnessed it,” he said. “There was a staff member present, but that person did not overhear those conversations.”

The student’s mother believes school officials ignored the incident. “Sweep it under the rug - eventually it’ll all go away. That’s their motto,” the mother said

"The girl who wrote “accomplished” on her Facebook page was rebuked by a former student, now a college freshman, on the Web site. A few days later, one of the bully’s friends told the college freshman’s sister - a South Hadley senior - she’d better watch her back, according to the girls’ mother.

“What a rotten little town we have,” said resident Donna Tower, who has three granddaughters who graduated from the high school. “This is obscene.”

http://bh.heraldinteractive.com/new...16&format=&page=2&listingType=Loc#articleFull

 

[Paladine]

Just wondering...those girls, to use the term loosely, calling Phoebe an "Irish *advertiser censored*"...this is MASS...I thought many Irish live there? Were any of the bullys Irish? Or is there still a holier than thou attitude held by some when it comes to the Irish in South Hadley? See...I'm in Canada. The Irish, as a rule, in my experience, are loved here...I've never heard anyone in all of my life disparage the Irish. It's not prevalent here.

 

[Paladine]

IF no one saw anything...maybe SHHS should hire some peeps with eyes in their head.

 

[Paladine]

"Phoebe's South Hadley High classmate, Sergio Loubriel, 14, said the same about his dead friend.

"She was so nice to everyone, she was smart, she was laid back. She loved poetry, she loved to write," he said.

"I haven't seen bullying like that at my school except towards Phoebe. It was non-stop cruelty against her. They called her a *advertiser censored* all the time," said Sergio, who was going to take Phoebe to a big dance Jan. 16.

She was excited and had already bought a sparkly black party dress.

They buried her in it.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...phoebe_prince_lived_blames.html#ixzz0jv30rSN0

 

[Paladine]

Prince Family Spokesperson...

"O’Brien said he doubts any discipline has been handed down since Prince died and speculated that school officials are working behind the scenes to get the bullies transferred into other schools so nothing detrimental will be on their permanent school records"

http://uppitywoman08.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/defective-spawns-of-the-week-9-south-hadley-students/

 

[Paladine]

From Ireland...

"Phoebe Prince had sweet life in Ireland before U.S. nightmare"

Phoebe went to school in the exclusive Villiers college in nearby Limerick.
She is remembered there as a warm, outgoing girl popular in a co ed boarding school environment where fast friends were made for life.

Villiers has a Protestant ethos and is fee paying. The student body is multi-denominational and diverse including students from Spain, Mexico, South Africa, Germany and Russia.

It is a nursery for many distinguished former pupils including politician Jan O'Sullivan. It has a unique reputation as a nurturing environment. Phoebe thrived there."

"Phoebe the country schoolgirl would have found it difficult to relocate no matter what the case. Unknown to her parents though she was entering a school where bullying was tolerated and school administrators did not want to be bothered.

It was all a huge contrast from Villiers where supportive teachers had a mission to nurture their pupils and one on one attention assured that no one got left out."

http://www.irishcentral.com/story/n...-in-ireland-before-us-nightmare-89751062.html

 

[Paladine]

"Mr Sayer disagreed with the district attorney and said her claims countered the findings of an investigation conducted by school principal Dan Smith."

"Based on our investigation, that wasn't the case. He followed up every lead, but we didn't get any other reports," he said.

He said the abuse happened outside of the awareness of adults.

"The kids have a way of communicating with each other without us knowing about it,'' he said. "They really have their own world.'' These comments in turn were responded to by Ms Schiebel who accused the schools official of "lashing out" and being unaware of the evidence."

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/school-staff-unaware-of-phoebe-bullying-2122280.html

What a joke...if it were funny.

 

[BeenaBobba]

Just wondering...those girls, to use the term loosely, calling Phoebe an "Irish *advertiser censored*"...this is MASS...I thought many Irish live there? Were any of the bullys Irish?

One of the bullies is named Flannery Mullins. That's about as Irish as you can get in the name department. LOL.

 

[Paladine]

One of the bullies is named Flannery Mullins. That's about as Irish as you can get in the name department. LOL.

That's what I thought! lol...but reportedly, she was the one on the 7th of Jan. that yelled "Irish *advertiser censored*" into the classroom at Phoebe. I wonder how parents, who named their child that name, would feel about her using such language, or should feel...I see one word...ashamed. Where I come from, the Irish do not insult the Irish.

Although, PEOPLE shouldn't treat anybody that way...needless to say. btw...I love that name.

 

[Paladine]

1 teens reaction after being cyberbullied on facebook...Phoebe endured months...

Among the victims is Daychel Spruill, a 17-year-old Charlestown High senior who said she read derogatory remarks about herself on Sunday. Spruill said she called police, but was told they could not do anything and was instead advised to notify school officials. The next day, she said, she confided in her guidance counselor after enduring hours of whispers and teasing by other students.

“I broke down and started crying,’’ Spruill said. “I didn’t come to school the next day. I sat in bed all day long.’’

Boston and school police sent a letter to principals about the bullying issue yesterday, and school officials plan to send letters next week to parents to provide them with tips on determining whether their children are victims or instigators.

The schools are also recruiting cybermentors, students savvy at social media who will help others who believe they are being harassed on social networking sites.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...04/02/city_targets_web_to_dull_bullies_barbs/

 

[Garland]

How very sad. Bullying has been around for so long and it seems it will continue. True, if the teachers don't like a child, some will take part in this behavior and let the bullying go one. I feel sorry for any child who has to endure this type of abuse daily. I know some men believe that if the child stands up to it, (typically a male child) the situation will be resolved. I believe a female child has no recourse if this type of problem exists. I feel so bad when we lose a child for a reason such as bullying.

I think many parents just shake their heads and feel it is not a big problem at all but it is. It is so hurtful and we have seen it lead to the death of other young people and children. It has to stop. Schools have to interact more to make sure this does not take place, as do the parents.

She appears to be such a lovely, pretty young girl too. So sad.
May she R.I.P.

Gozgals

And that's typically what's wrong with parents & their kids today. I remember that I was being bullied in my school years, especially during middle school when I rode on the bus, & a boy threatened to always beat me up every day. I went to one of the teachers of mine, & they got him to stop for a little while, but after that, it kept going. I'm thinking that the kind of behavior that the kids are learning has to do with their parents. They always want to spoil them, don't teach them right from wrong, & think that they can always get away with everything. It's sickening, & needs to end. Permanently. And the teachers need to be punished one way or another if they allow some kind of bullying to go on, regardless whatever they like the child or not.

 

[BeenaBobba]

I've got some new information. Well, I don't know if it's new, but it confirms a lot of what we've heard so far. The information I have was gleaned from a South Hadley High School student's public Facebook profile. Out of curiosity, I scrolled down to the January 14th updates. Needless to say, there were a lot of comments. What I can confirm is that some students knew that she was "constantly tormented," and it seems that this made some of them feel very uncomfortable and upset. One even said that "a whole lot of people should be feeling guilty right now." Two students wrote that they'd heard other students saying "horrible things" about Phoebe during their classes on January 14th, even after almost everyone had heard about the tragedy! One student said that she "couldn't believe" what was being said. But what really shocked me were the comments from Austin Renaud's sister. She said that her brother had told her why Phoebe killed herself, and she said he was laughing about it! Even she seemed disgusted by his behavior! She also said she'd heard a rumor that Flannery Mullins, who had been dating Austin before he dated Phoebe, told her to kill herself.

Anyway, that's more or less it, but I was kind of shocked to read things the students wrote on the day it happened. No one can claim media bias with this because I saw it with my own eyes and have proof to boot.

 

[stmarysmead]

This article raised more questions for Supt Sayers IMO. Here , Phoebe's Mother refutes his assertion that the family did not alert school officials.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/02/us/02bully.html?pagewanted=1


"Darby O’Brien, a friend of the Prince family, said Thursday that Ms. Prince’s parents had told him that they had twice tried to alert the school and protect their daughter. Anne Prince, the mother, told him that in one case she had contacted a school official in November asking “whether this gang of girls was a threat to her daughter,” and was told not to worry. The mother said she had contacted the school again in the first week of January as the taunting continued, Mr. O’Brien said."

and

"On the afternoon of her death, on Jan. 14, other students said they saw Ms. Prince going into the nurse’s office, crying. A school official confirmed that Ms. Prince had seen the nurse but said he could not comment on the reasons.

In interviews, some students and parents described bullying incidents that they said were witnessed by teachers. A few times in December and early January, for example, Ms. Prince arrived at a class late and crying; a teacher tried to console her in the hallway and then left her there, said a student who did not want to be identified, citing the criminal proceedings. "

It would appear that Phoebe reached out to the school nurse before she went home and in desperation, took her life.

The poor girl tried.

Sayers whitewash will have to overcome this type of testimony if there are civil suits.

Watching this video of Supt Sayers, I would like to ask him several questions.

http://www.necn.com/04/01/10/South-...ng_newengland.html?blockID=208632&feedID=4206


1. What type of environment are you providing South Hadley's children when a student feels comfortable enough to "walk into" a classroom in session with a teacher...where apparently she does not belong...and direct obscenities at another student? What type of supervision prevails in that school that an act this BRAZEN is undertaken apparently with the confidence that it will cause little consequence to the Bully?


2. Sayers claims this bully AND "other students involved" were called in to be "disciplined" in this video:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq67xOY-9dk&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

So who were these "other students?" Did kids in the class yell out their approval and join the Bully in demeaning Phoebe in her class? Or were other students in the Hall supporting the intrusion into the classroom? If so, you don't need a PHD in Education to see you might have a larger problem here.

What was the discipline? Was there ANY follow-up in the week ahead...the last week of Phoebe's life?



3. In another video, he reports that on the same day, a teacher overheard another group in the cafeteria speaking about Phoebe in (his words) "unflattering ways" and was so moved by these "unflattering words" that these students were also called in. And then what...nothing? Nothing?

How can school officials NOT be aware NOW, after two separate incidents in one day, that they have a situation that needs watching? If they were NOT aware...why not? It's THEIR JOB to be aware and provide a safe environment for students.

4. Even if we accept as true that these two incidents were the entire body of knowledge that the school had...would this not at least call for an increased vigilance by school officials IN THAT LAST WEEK? Could they have given Phoebe just ONE WEEK of increased monitoring to see what her situation truly was? Did they call Phoebe in and speak to her privately? Did they alert her Mother? Did they alert staff to be aware that Phoebe appeared to be targeted by two separate groups? It is the job of that Supt and all school officials to provide a safe environment for students. They knew on Jan 7 that school was not "safe" for Phoebe. What specific actions did they take to monitor the situation in the last week of her life?

5. On the day she dies , Phoebe was swarmed in the library as she tried to study. The Supt says ..it's a large library. Alright then. But if they knew on Jan 7, that two groups of kids were targeting Phoebe. Did they alert the rest of Phoebe's teachers to the harassment? If not why not?

Were any of the KNOWN bullies in the group around Phoebe in the library? Are they saying an experienced teacher can be in a room where a young girl is surrounded and harassed and not have any clue this is transpiring? How attentive IS this teacher? Her job, I assume, is to supervise the library...big room or not. How could this happen under proper supervision?

Phoebe endured a death by a thousand cuts. Sayers et al. seem to be trying to say that the problem was her instability, not the school in any way. He should be reminded that no healthy person dies from one cut...but unrelenting cuts will destroy the healthiest among us. South Hadley High, under his supervision, providing the longstanding "cutting ground" for Phoebe Prince.

 

[elle1919]

Thank you Paladine for the article from an Irish newspaper.

A beautiful quote from a fellow student, I felt needed to be said again, out-loud for Phoebe.

snip~ For those who knew Phoebe, though, it comes too late. Not everyone at her new school loathed her: Sergio Loubriel (14) said that he had asked her to a winter dance with him, and regretted that he had never told her that he had a crush on her.

"I wish I could have stopped it," he said. "I wish I could have talked to her when she got home."~ end

Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/n...*-for-dating-star-14752904.html#ixzz0jwqPWwTG

 

[elle1919]

I've got some new information. Well, I don't know if it's new, but it confirms a lot of what we've heard so far. The information I have was gleaned from a South Hadley High School student's public Facebook profile. Out of curiosity, I scrolled down to the January 14th updates. Needless to say, there were a lot of comments. What I can confirm is that some students knew that she was "constantly tormented," and it seems that this made some of them feel very uncomfortable and upset. One even said that "a whole lot of people should be feeling guilty right now." Two students wrote that they'd heard other students saying "horrible things" about Phoebe during their classes on January 14th, even after almost everyone had heard about the tragedy! One student said that she "couldn't believe" what was being said. But what really shocked me were the comments from Austin Renaud's sister. She said that her brother had told her why Phoebe killed herself, and she said he was laughing about it! Even she seemed disgusted by his behavior! She also said she'd heard a rumor that Flannery Mullins, who had been dating Austin before he dated Phoebe, told her to kill herself.

Anyway, that's more or less it, but I was kind of shocked to read things the students wrote on the day it happened. No one can claim media bias with this because I saw it with my own eyes and have proof to boot.

Tragic isn't it? These are the comments that disgust me most about this case. Phoebe's tormentors were PLEASED WITH THEMSELVES after hearing that Phoebe had killed herself. They were genuinely satisfied that their actions had earned them A WIN! Yes, a win, they considered Phoebe's death a win, another mark on their wall of accomplishments. The teachers and administrators at the Hadley School gave them the wall to post upon and have supported their actions by their non action! JMO...100% unacceptable

 

[Paladine]

I've got some new information. Well, I don't know if it's new, but it confirms a lot of what we've heard so far. The information I have was gleaned from a South Hadley High School student's public Facebook profile. Out of curiosity, I scrolled down to the January 14th updates. Needless to say, there were a lot of comments. What I can confirm is that some students knew that she was "constantly tormented," and it seems that this made some of them feel very uncomfortable and upset. One even said that "a whole lot of people should be feeling guilty right now." Two students wrote that they'd heard other students saying "horrible things" about Phoebe during their classes on January 14th, even after almost everyone had heard about the tragedy! One student said that she "couldn't believe" what was being said. But what really shocked me were the comments from Austin Renaud's sister. She said that her brother had told her why Phoebe killed herself, and she said he was laughing about it! Even she seemed disgusted by his behavior! She also said she'd heard a rumor that Flannery Mullins, who had been dating Austin before he dated Phoebe, told her to kill herself.

Anyway, that's more or less it, but I was kind of shocked to read things the students wrote on the day it happened. No one can claim media bias with this because I saw it with my own eyes and have proof to boot.

Oh, thanks so much, Benna! That's EXACTLY the kind of stuff I've been reading! It was common knowledge! It was Sean and Austin with two sets of friends. Austin's sister, though...wow...just wow... How can people be so cruel? NO empathy, is all I can come up with...and I heard about Flannery...the SAME thing...that she said...can't wait till Tuesday and the indictment. I have a feeling we'll see how truly ugly some of these kids are.

 

[Salem]

Hey Guys - from here on out, please use the initials of the suspects and any other minors involved here, especially the innocent ones. I have sent an SOS to mods to determine if we can use their full names.

I know the suspects have been named in the media and they have been charged. But they are still minors and given WS's policy about protecting minors - I don't want to confuse the issue. In addition, we have a lot of minors coming out in the media saying they were also bullied and/or standing up for Phoebe. Those minors DEFINITELY should NOT be named, even though full names are in the media.

Not that I want to protect these particular minors (I don't) but I don't want to weaken a very good policy for these _________ either or expose the innocent to undue scrutiny (for lack of a better word).

So - until I hear back from Admin - please humor me.

Thanks,

Salem