Students and parents speak out about bullying at Massapequa
Students and parents in the Massapequa School District spoke out at the Board of Education meeting last week about bullying and say they're concerned for the safety of students.
More Stories
Students and parents in the Massapequa School District spoke out at the Board of Education meeting last week about bullying and say they're concerned for the safety of students.
Tyler Rochetilden is a Massapequa Park teen with autism who says he's been bullied at school.
"They told me to forget about it. They told me to not think of it," says Rochetilden.
"I'm constantly worried about him," says Tyler's mom Gina Moscato. "They don't want to listen and they don't want change. So it's scary for a parent knowing that things aren't going to change."
As News 12 has reported, the teen was confronted by a group of kids on bikes last year. He says those kids threw rocks at him and one person even tried to hit him.
Last Thursday, Rochetilden was one of many students and parents to speak directly to school officials at the board of education meeting.
"They were rolling their eyes at me secretly like I saw them," he says. "They weren't taking it seriously."
Both students and parents say more needs to be done.
"My daughter and many of her friends have told me over and over again how they are repeatedly harassed and bullied. They bring these issues to administration and sometimes they're dealt with but oftentimes they're not," says parent Megan Lutz.
Many of the parents and students who spoke at the meeting say they don't feel that the board of education heard them.
"It's terrifying. No child should have to go to school feeling unsafe," says Lutz. "Many kids have just given up on reporting at all."
"We are hearing you and it's nothing out of disrespect, certain things we also can't talk about so I don't want you to think that we don't care if we just say thank you for you comment. It's really that we can't engage and go further," a board member said at the meeting.
Superintendent Bill Brennan sent News 12 a statement saying safety of students is the top priority.
"The district provides comprehensive bullying prevention, social-emotional learning, and student support programs. As part of our ongoing commitment to continuously strengthen these efforts, we have initiated conversations with the long island coalition against bullying to explore opportunities to enhance resources and educational programming for our students, staff, and families," said Brennan's statement in part.
