Also see: Suicide in South Hadley
Who would ever want to go to a public school in Massachusetts after this?
"9 teens charged in girl’s bullying; S. Hadley school’s officials faulted for not halting abuse before her suicide" by Peter Schworm and Brian Ballou, Globe Staff | March 30, 2010
NORTHAMPTON — With sharp words and a strikingly aggressive prosecutorial stance, authorities yesterday spelled out a litany of charges against nine teenagers accused of subjecting 15-year-old South Hadley student Phoebe Prince to months of tortuous harassment before she hanged herself in a stairwell at home.
Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel, who outlined the charges, also faulted officials at South Hadley High School, saying her investigation determined the girl’s harassment had been “common knowledge,’’ contradicting administrators’ previous assertions that they had been unaware of problems until after her death.
Scheibel described in painful detail Prince’s last day at school, saying that her investigation found the Irish immigrant was taunted in the hallways and bombarded with vulgar insults. As she studied in the library during lunch, the accused students allegedly hounded her openly while other students and a teacher looked on. The witnesses alerted school administrators only after her death.
“It appears that Phoebe’s death on Jan. 14 followed a tortuous day for her, in which she was subjected to verbal harassment and threatened physical abuse,’’ Scheibel said. “The events were not isolated, but the culmination of a nearly-three month campaign of verbally assaultive behavior and threats of physical harm.’’
The nature of the charges — ranging from criminal harassment and civil rights violations to stalking and statutory rape — hints at a forceful strategy of taking many legal avenues in the pur suit of convictions, legal specialists said.
“It’s an aggressive approach,’’ said Robert Griffin, a former Suffolk County prosecutor. “They are casting a wide net.’’
Prince was a freshman who had moved to Massachusetts from Ireland, and her suicide sparked statewide horror and prompted intense public debate on bullying. It also prompted an antibullying measure that has been approved by both chambers of the state Legislature.
Related: Bullying the Massachusetts Legislature
In South Hadley, school officials were the target of intense criticism, and Scheibel’s assertions yesterday infuriated some parents anew, a sign that pressure could mount on School Committee members to take action against administrators at South Hadley High.
“They knew all along and did nothing to prevent it,’’ resident Donna Tower said of administrators. “There needs to be justice for Phoebe Prince.’’
School Committee members and Superintendent Gus Sayer did not return phone calls yesterday.
South Hadley High administrators had previously said they were unaware of the bullying until after Prince’s death, but Scheibel said yesterday that students and some teachers and administrators knew of the harassment of Prince and that Prince’s mother had spoken with at least two school staff members about her daughter’s troubles.
The vast majority of the bullying took place during the school day, Scheibel said, and online harassment played a secondary role.
The school’s inaction was “troublesome’’ but did not constitute criminal behavior, Scheibel said. A lack of “understanding of harassment associated with teen dating relationships’’ was prevalent at the school, she added.
Sayer’s office issued a statement yesterday saying officials had not been briefed by Scheibel on the results of the investigation.
“Once we are able to obtain this information we will be able to make a more comprehensive statement and possibly take further action against the students still attending South Hadley High School,’’ said the statement issued by assistant superintendent Christine Sweklo.
Prosecutors accused two boys of statutory rape, and three girls of violating Prince’s civil rights and criminal harassment. They declined to provide specifics, but said students targeted Prince in retaliation for briefly dating a male student and continued their harassment weeks after the pair’s relationship ended.
“The investigation revealed relentless activities directed toward Phoebe, designed to humiliate her, and to make it impossible for her to stay at school,’’ Scheibel said. “The bullying, for her, was intolerable.’’
Charged as adults were: Sean Mulveyhill, 17, of South Hadley, with statutory rape, violation of civil rights, criminal harassment, and disturbance of a school assembly; Austin Renaud, 18, of Springfield, statutory rape; Kayla Narey, 17, of South Hadley, violation of civil rights, criminal harassment, and disturbance of a school assembly; Ashley Longe, 16, of South Hadley, violation of civil rights with bodily injury resulting.
Flannery Mullins, 16, of South Hadley, and Sharon Chanon Velazquez, 16, of South Hadley, were also charged as adults with violation of civil rights and stalking.
Three juveniles, all females from South Hadley, are also facing charges. Two complaints charge one count each of violation of civil rights, criminal harassment, and disturbance of a school assembly. One complaint charges one count each of violation of civil rights, assault by means of a dangerous weapon (bottle, can, or beverage container), and disturbance of a school assembly.
The defendants will be summoned to court for arraignment in the coming weeks. Scheibel said the case is still under investigation, and there may be additional charges.
Parents said several students have either been expelled or have left school. Several of the accused teenagers still attend South Hadley High School, Scheibel said.
Many parents applauded the charges, saying it sent a clear message that bullies will be punished.
“We have to make an example out of these kids,’’ said Mitchell Brouillard, who said his daughter has been bullied at the high school. “They have to be held accountable. This could have been my daughter.’’
So when do we start holding MASS-MURDERING WAR CRIMINALS accountable in this society, huh?
Hello?
At South Hadley High yesterday, several students said the school administration has focused on eliminating bullying since Prince’s death.
Ashley Dunn, 16, a sophomore, said she recently told school officials she had been bullied, and that they had found a way to solve the problem.
“I felt small, and I cried every night,’’ she said. “It didn’t get to the point where I thought about suicide, but it was pretty bad. It was handled very well. The school did counseling and mediation.’’ Now, she said, she and the bully “are on better terms.’’
--more--"Better yet, beat the crap out of them.
Most bullies are wimps; that is why they prey upon the weak.
Believe me, it works. I never had a problem in high school afterward.
"Anger turns toward staff in bullying case" by Peter Schworm and Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff | March 31, 2010
SOUTH HADLEY — Enraged by revelations that staff members at South Hadley High School knew that Phoebe Prince was the target of withering harassment long before her death, residents and public officials yesterday angrily accused the school system of neglecting vulnerable students and called on top administrators to resign....
I say CLOSE the SCHOOL!!!!
The teenagers, who include three juveniles, face charges ranging from criminal harassment and civil rights violations to stalking and statutory rape. Relatives of the teenagers who have been charged could not be reached for comment or declined to comment....
At the Crack of Dawn restaurant, which was abuzz over a case that has thrust a small town into a harsh public limelight, people said the town is ill-at-ease with the growing scrutiny....
Yeah, thanks for the FRONT-PAGE, AGENDA-PUSHING COVERAGE and ALL the PRINT, Glob.
For a town that had just begun to recover from the shock and grief of Prince’s death, the severity of the charges sent many residents reeling.
“Everyone was taken aback by this,’’ said Paul Beecher, the town administrator. “I don’t think anyone knew the extent of it. It has reopened, I suspect, wounds that started to heal.’’
--more--"So OPEN 'EM BACK UP AGAIN, D.A.!!!
"District attorney faces unique challenges in prosecuting teens" By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff | March 31, 2010
The district attorney investigating the suicide of a South Hadley student took a bold and highly unusual stand on Monday when she announced that the actions of the nine classmates who allegedly bullied Phoebe Prince were so cruel they were criminal, legal specialists said.
Like TORTURE?
But, they said, when Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel takes the case to court, she will face a unique challenge: With no statute criminalizing school bullying, she must rely on a series of laws rarely used in such cases — including those against stalking, civil rights violations, and statutory rape — and convince a jury that a series of those crimes led to Prince’s death....
How much are taxpayers going to be out for this grandstanding?
Other charges Scheibel brought Monday against the nine teenagers in connection with Prince’s Jan. 14 suicide include criminal harassment, disturbing a school assembly, and assault by means of a dangerous weapon — a soda can. She has not linked the charges to specific actions by the students but said the defendants’ actions went beyond the “normal teenage’’ behavior that results from the tension and anger that can swirl around adolescent relationships....
But some lawyers questioned whether legislators, not prosecutors, should determine if the kind of behavior alleged by authorities is criminal.
“We’re not talking about whether these kids should be punished in some normal fashion or be thrown out of school. We’re talking about whether they should have criminal records or possibly go to jail,’’ said Dan Small, a former federal prosecutor and Boston defense lawyer. “The criminal law is a sledgehammer, not a scalpel, and you’re dealing with very tough social issues with a very blunt instrument.’’
Hey, why not HANG THEM then?
An EYE-for-an-EYE, right?
Scheibel had no comment yesterday, according to an assistant.
Two male students, 17 and 18, were accused of statutory rape, following allegations that both teenagers had a brief sexual relationship with Prince....
A 15-YEAR-OLD having SEX, huh?
Hey, I know it happens, but it just FURTHER ILLUSTRATES the DEPRAVITY and IMMORALITY of this nation!
Consensual sex between two teenagers is considered statutory rape if one of the parties is under 16. But in cases of uncoerced sex, it is uncommon for prosecutors to charge young people when they are close in age to the alleged victim....
Hey, D.A. is reaching for the kitchen sink.
John Swomley, a Boston lawyer who does work for the American Civil Liberties Union, said prosecuting teenagers on such charges is vindictive and fails to address the real problem of school bullying.
That is the feeling I got.
You see, it is okay to be angry as long as the anger is advancing the agenda.
But may God help your very soul if you oppose it.
Then you are a "terrorist tea-bagger!"
“I don’t know how you make anybody happy by punishing children,’’ he said. “You’re not teaching by example. You’re teaching by, ‘We’re going to do to you what you did to her.’ ’’
I say EXECUTE THEM!
That should make the outraged people of South Hadley happy!
Do it right on the town common on a Saturday afternoon so all can attend!
Can you hear the cheers?
But Matthew Machera, a former Suffolk County prosecutor, said Scheibel’s investigation suggests a pattern of abuse that must be prosecuted.
“Those who want to make the argument that this is normal teenage kid stuff have to look at the fact that this appeared to be an incredibly well-orchestrated attack on one girl,’’ he said. “It’s almost like they had an organized plan and they didn’t stray from it. They were relentless.’’
So WHAT DO WE DO with a LYING, WAR-CRIMINAL PRESS and NATION, Americans?
Related: Criminal charges mark a new seriousness about bullying
Boston students flood bullying hot line
Oh, and while you are at it, save a place under the blade for the staff.
"Schools head defends response to bullying; Rebuts prosecutor on teen’s suicide" by Peter Schworm, Globe Staff | April 1, 2010
South Hadley schools superintendent Gus Sayer, in his first extensive comments yesterday on the criminal charges brought against nine teenagers, defended school officials’ handling of the bullying that preceded student Phoebe Prince’s suicide.
Don't leave on a bus, Gus.
Sayer rebutted prosecutors’ assertions that staff and administrators should have done more to intervene, saying that school officials became aware of the bullying of Prince only a week before the 15-year-old Irish immigrant hanged herself.
“That’s the first we learned of it, and we took very strong action,’’ he said. “We don’t have knowledge of any bullying or other incidents before that. No one turned their back on this. I think we did everything we could. If I thought I had done something wrong, I would resign. But I think we did our best.’’
Hey, let God sort it out.
Sayer’s remarks stand in sharp contrast to assertions by Northwest District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel, who on Monday said a lengthy investigation concluded that some three months of harassment was “common knowledge’’ among students, and found that certain staff members and administrators were also aware of the bullying. She said their inaction in the face of those reports, while not criminal, was “troublesome.’’
Stopping short of criticizing Scheibel directly, Sayer said her findings “did not jibe’’ with the internal investigation conducted by the high school’s principal, Dan Smith, after Prince’s death.
“Based on our investigation, that wasn’t the case,’’ he said.
“He followed up every lead, but we didn’t get any other reports.’’
Scheibel last night took issue with Sayer’s comments.
“He is under fire and lashing out,’’ she said. “He does not have access to investigative material, so I don’t know how or why he can say what he said to the Globe. He doesn’t know what evidence we have.’’
But he will.
And he is ACTING like a BULLY, huh, Scheibel?
Scheibel’s assertion that a number of adults were aware of the bullying, and that Prince’s mother had spoken with at least two staff members about the harassment, has fueled broad anger toward Sayer and other school officials, and sparked vocal calls for their resignations.
I'll do you one better; I call for their F***ING HEADS!!!!!!!!!
What, readers, the DRIPPING SARCASM bothering you?
Even as anger and national criticism mounted since Scheibel’s announcement, Sayer, who was out of town on vacation, and other top administrators had remained silent on the issue of what they knew and when.
The implication being?
Of course, it is okay when authorities (or Israel) won't comment for the agenda-pushing papers.
Yesterday, Sayer denied misleading the public...
Prince’s suicide has attracted international attention and has prompted widespread calls for stricter bullying laws and improved training....
Prince’s family had moved to South Hadley last fall to be near relatives and has moved again since the suicide. Family members have not spoken publicly since their daughter’s death.
Shouldn't that GIVE the GLOB and the DA a clue?
Nah, RIP OPEN that scab so the agenda of tyranny can be put in place.
Sayer called students’ behavior toward Prince “outrageous’’ but said he was surprised to learn that Scheibel drew such a strong connection between the bullying and Prince’s suicide.
“People have assumed the bullying caused her death,’’ he said. “But we don’t know why she took her own life. We think there were probably a number of possible causes.’’
Yeah, it USUALLY IS a COMBINATION of THINGS!
So what is the FAMILY HIDING by NOT TALKING, Globe?
Seems to be a problem with the pilloried admins, huh?
Sayer said he spoke with Scheibel yesterday and planned to meet with her soon to discuss her findings. He said that the students she charged matched those school officials had previously identified as the offenders.
“That was my first reaction, was that her findings seemed to corroborate what the principal had found,’’ he said. “We did not see any new names, and I think we both came to the conclusion there had been some intense bullying.’’
He said the district has created an anti-bullying task force and plans to study its bullying policies closely.
Still, Sayer cautioned that bullying among teenagers is a longstanding reality that schools can never eradicate on their own.
Especially in THIS CULTURE that WORSHIPS WINNING and HUMILIATING the opponent!
And I told you the answer to bullying.
Whip someone's ass and the rest will stop.
“Everyone expects the schools to solve these problems, but we don’t have magic-bullet solutions to how kids behave,’’ he said.
Very, very interesting choice of words. He knows, readers!
Sayer said that he is not surprised school officials have been widely blamed in the aftermath of Prince’s death, but said the criticism is undeserved. Many faculty and students are dismayed by the negative perception, he said.
Hey, the Glob has been headlining it, not me.
“Unfortunately, there’s the perception now that this is a school district that doesn’t care about its students,’’ he said. “Nothing could be further from the truth.’’
That's why I say SHUT IT DOWN!!!
Meanwhile, three of the nine teenagers — Sean Mulveyhill, Kayla Narey, and Austin Renaud — whom Scheibel charged in connection with Prince’s death are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
So when do George Bush and Dick Cheney make theirs?
Killed a hell of a lot more people over lies.
--more--"
I already have too much on my catch-up plate.
So what do you do when it is YOUR NATION that is the BULLY of the WORLD, AmeriKans?
