Bullied girl, 8, ignored by school

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Bullied girl, 8, ignored by school

By CHRIS DOUCETTE, QMI Agency

TORONTO - Eight-year-old Lyric Elliott says life at her Scarborough school has

been an absolute nightmare for the last 18 months thanks to bullies who refuse

to leave her alone and an education system that has done too little to protect

her.

Now, after 163 visits to the office at Tredway Junior Public School --

and repeated pleas to school staff to keep her daughter safe -- the young girl's

mother has decided " enough is enough. "

" I pulled her out of school last week, " Elliott told the Toronto Sun

Wednesday.

" I just couldn't take it any more. "

She said the final straw came last Thursday when five boys pushed Lyric to the

ground, then poked and prodded her with sticks.

" She was bruised and scratched from head to toe, " said of her

daughter's injuries.

Lyric said she loved going to school before she, her baby sister and mom fled an

abusive situation in Calgary and moved to the Markham Rd. and Lawrence Ave. E.

area in 2008.

But now she's simply terrified because of the constant harassment she claims she

faces.

" It happens just about every day, " the soft-spoken youngster said of the abuse

she has allegedly endured. " It's a bad dream that I can't wake up from. "

Lyric now has nightmares quite regularly because of the bullying. All she wants

is to go to school and feel safe.

" Just stop bullying me and leave me alone, " Lyric said, reaching out to her

alleged abusers. " They think it's funny when they see me cry or get hurt. "

The little girl said she believes her fellow students single her out " because

I'm white. "

Her mother said she couldn't help wonder if race was a factor when Lyric came

home from the predominantly black school asking to take a bath.

" I asked her why and she told me it was because the kids were calling her a

'dirty white girl,' " added , who added that several members of her

family are African-Canadian.

In one of the worst incidents, Lyric's mother claims three first-grade boys

threw Lyric on the ground and took turns " dry humping her. "

" Only one of the boys was suspended, " said. " I was told the other two

hadn't been in any trouble before. "

Despite the recent passing of Bill 157 by the province, which is supposed to

combat bullying by requiring school staff to file a report on all such

incidents, the frustrated mom insisted she has had difficulty getting action.

said there are about five kids, girls and boys, who are terrorizing

her daughter. She said she complained to the principal more than 40 times about

one girl before her parents were finally notified.

And added she was told by school staff there is no point in

suspending the bullies because they would just consider it " a holiday. "

Tired of fighting with Lyric every morning and " dragging " her to school only to

have her call home partway through the day claiming to be sick, is

now refusing to bring her daughter back to Tredway even though she could

face legal ramifications for withdrawing her child from school.

The mom said she has spoken to the school principal countless times; she has

called Toronto Police but they can't lay charges because the alleged bullies are

under 12 years old; education ministry officials told her she must contact her

school's superintendent; and the superintendent, Kerry-Lynn Stadnyk, has told

her the principal is dealing with it.

said she has made more than 100 calls to Stadnyk, but she has only

actually spoken to her a handful of times.

" I've asked many times to meet with her and she won't, " contended.

However, after a Sun reporter called the Toronto District School Board

Wednesday, said she suddenly received a call from Stadnyk offering to

meet with her next week.

She said they spoke for 45 minutes on the phone.

A TDSB spokesman said Stadnyk was unavailable for comment until Thursday.