A Mayo parent has launched a campaign ‘Say No To Bullying’ because he feels the school his son attends is doing nothing about the consistent bullying involving his boy.
The parent wanted to remain anonymous to protect the identity of his son but he also wants their story to be highlighted so other parents do not waste time in addressing the issue of bullying should it arise in their homes.
So concerned was this father about the situation, he has offered the school €20,000 to help tackle the problem.
According to the father, his son has been bullied for three months. The actions have taken the form of ripped clothes, a bleeding lip, school books going missing, being tripped, kicked, and punched.
However according to this man, the school principal has told the boy’s parents that their son might be looking for attention.
Feeling helpless and unsure as to how to help his son, the father got cards printed and a banner with the words “Say No To Bullying” and he staged his own protest outside the school in question this week. He is now in the process of setting up a Facebook page so other parents can share information and discuss ideas about how to deal with the issue of bullying.
While the man told the Mayo Advertiser that he is aware that there are two sides to every story, he said he had no doubt that his son, who is “very self reliant, very self assured, not aggressive, not dominant and an innocent boy”, was being bullied.
“I don’t see why my son should have to change his personality to fit into the environment,” he told the Mayo Advertiser. “My problem is when I’m sending my son to school I’m sending him into the lion’s den. He is there to be educated and to be safe in a learning environment.”
This angered father has advised other parents in a similar situation to write to the school principal once the situation comes to light so there is a line of correspondence started immediately.
“I can see the effects of this on my child’s personality. If you don’t stamp it out in school it follows through to the workplace. I can’t believe that in the 21st century you can put a man on the moon but you can’t stop bullying,” he added.
A survey on bullying carried out by Trinity College Dublin it found that 31 per cent of primary and 16 per cent of secondary students have been bullied at some time.
