In an effort to keep the community informed I decided to craft this letter. It is a well-known fact that bullying impacts everyone, even those who aren’t being bullied directly. Families have been torn apart, communities have been shattered, lives have been negatively impacted – and all because of bullying. Not all incidents of bullying get reported which makes it difficult to properly track the trends within the community.
I feel it necessary to alert parents, especially in New Jersey, specifically in Paterson to please monitor your children to make sure that they are not involved in bullying. There is NJ Senate legislation (Bill S3433) which provides strict guidelines and penalties on how bullying is to be handled and also how parents of students who engage in acts of bullying are to be held responsible.
Too many lives have been lost due to senseless bullying. It’s time for us as parents to take a hard stance against bullying in all forms. If you or your child has been the victim of bullying, especially in any of our schools, please reach out to central office immediately or reach out to me and I’ll connect you with the appropriate parties who will assist you.
Corey Teague
School board member