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Thursday, May 23, 2013 | 3:06 a.m.

Posted: 6:47 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, 2012

Parent of bullying victim upset over district response to problem

Vallejo bullying 1207
Vallejo bullying 1207

KTVU.com

VALLEJO, Calif. —

Parents in a Vallejo school district are accusing officials of not doing enough for the victims of two bullies.

One of the parents told KTVU her daughter wrote a suicide note because she's so upset over being bullied at Cooper Elementary School and she said district intervention has only made the matter worse.

"Stop punishing the victims," said Patricia Hartzell, the victim's mother. "That's what the school has been doing."

Hartzell said her 10-year-old daughter and another fifth-grader find it difficult to come to school because they don't want to face their bullies.

"Every day is a struggle to get her out of bed to go," Hartzell said.

After contacting Cooper Elementary School administration, Hartzell's daughter was kept inside during recess to keep her away from those accused of tormenting her, which included shoving and lewd comments.

"Get some counselors back at the school," Hartzell said. "I know with the budget cuts prevent that, but obviously the school really needs it."

The Vallejo City Unified School District sent KTVU a statement pointing to their compliance officers who man an anti-bullying hotline and programs bringing together teachers, students and even a principal to talk out issues.

One parent, who works as a day care provider and declined to give her name, said the district does what it can.

"It's not the school district's fault," she said. "It is when you get parents who think that their kids are always the most innocent kid, that's where the problem lies. "

Taylor, a Cooper Elementary kindergartner, held up the card which indicates good behavior in class.

A boy who she said hit her during school, received a red card indicating bad behavior

Jamal Buggage, Taylor's father, said if this had escalated like the older girls' situation, he'd bypass the school district.

"I would talk to the parents of the student for them to talk to their kid," Buggage said.

Both parents of those bullied fifth-graders said they requested a meeting with the father of the two boys in the class accused of bullying.

The meeting was never set up and one of the boys no longer attends the school.

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