Teen Punished For Stopping Bullying
I thought schools would be happy that a student stepped up to stop a group of people bullying a girl with mental disabilities. Turns out that instead of being grateful, the teen who tried to help was punished. In Daytona, Florida, Stormy Rich (yes, that is her name and yes, her parents must have a sense of humor) was on the school bus when she saw some kids bullying a girl with mental disabilities. The kids were making her put things in her mouth and eating them. Stormy put a stop to it and then reported to the bus driver and school officials what happened. The school officials disciplined Stormy for taking matters into her own hands. I don't get that. I mean I kind of do, but I don't. So, she is supposed to watch this girl get abused for the bus ride and possibly have something happen to her and then wait until she has a chance to report it and then maybe something will be done. That sucks. The school should be ashamed of themselves.
62 comments:
She is a hero.
Good for her and shame on the school!
I would have done the same.....and would have told the newspapers the names of the teachers who disciplined me.
yes, this stupidity is up there w/the judge in texas jailing a high school girl who was truant because her parents ditched her and she had to support herself and her sister. so she had 2 jobs and missed some school because of them.
some people just don't get it.
I applaud that child. It's what I would expect my child to do. If this bus driver was like most he would have just told them to "sit down" and "he'll take care of it" .... later.
Bravo Stormy Rich.
I would have done the same, and in fact did do the same when I was younger. Good for her. I second the *shame on the school* thoughts.
Apparently, the school district's policy is for students to report an incident to school authorities but not intervene. She did that and for weeks nothing changed. The district's rationale for kicking her off the bus is that "she displayed bullying behavior in sticking up for the girl, and two wrongs don't make a right." Huh? Ludicrous.
where is the bus driver in all this? aren't they supposed to be watching what goes on in the back of their bus before a student feels the need to step in?
Has anyone started a petition on change.org? Please post if so so we can sign it
Florida is whack. Seriously
Stormy??? Really? Why would parents do that?
Would she have been disciplined if the kid being bullied was the kid of one of the school officials?
Political correctness has run amok in the public schools. The school system needs a giant enema so we can replace everyone with the smart people currently unemployed or under-employed who have a more practical sense of what it takes to survive in this shitty world. That is all.
We have to remember that it's the same morons who we went to school with running the show in these places. I like to refer to our school's superintendent as nothing more than a glorified waiter, as all he does is take orders. He is NOT an innovator nor does he make change where change must come.
We are headed for far worse, buckle up.
I used to live in Florida. I'm so glad I moved away before I had children. I'd have never survived their school years. This school should, indeed, be ashamed.
Come on Anita...that's not the point and her name has nothing to do with this girl's integrity.
By taking matters into her own hands, she was denying the system put into place by people who feel they know better. Instead of proving their system works, she wasn't giving the system a chance to work. Whether or not that is the reality is moot. She can't be allowed to buck their system, even if she did prove it wasn't working. I think I did that correctly. The system isn't considered a bully, even if their tactics would amount to what she did because it is the official system and she didn't follow the directives set forth by the system.
@The, this! There have been a slew of reports lately similar to this type of 'thinking' among school officials. Obviously some have resided in their Ivory Towers for far too long.
p.s. And considering the bozo's I know in my kids school district and what I've experienced in the American public school system, let's just say I am NOT surprised at all at this girls plight. It's a bit like the Asian girl from TX who was just arrested for missing school even though she was on the honor roll and working two jobs to support her younger siblings after her parents split and left them to fend for themselves.
Good for Stormy! You stand proud girl, YOU did the right thing!
That school should be ashamed.
So, if the mentally handicapped student had choked on something those twits were making her eat, should everyone just sit back and let it happen? These schools are full of people with no common sense.
I'm not sure about Volusia County, but in my FL county bus drivers are completely forbidden for intervening on a bus. They can verbally discipline, but they can't approach or physically intervene in bullying or fighting. Not only will they lose their job they can be sued and possibly prosecuted.
I think the district did this to save face because they did nothing and the parents of the real bullies complained to them about Stormy.
If I were her, I would be happy to not ride the bus anymore. In fact, if I were her parent, I would offer to pick up and drop off the handicapped girl, as well. She did a noble thing, and should be commended.
I also agree that the school should be ashamed. It's sad when rules get in the way of doing the right thing.
@yawnathon, so? This site isn't a local paper, it's an entertainment gossip site. It's kind of obvious nothing is going on in the entertainment world today so I'm making due with stories about some kid getting kicked out of school and a girl treated as a slave. I'm making my own fun.
I suppose if she witnessed them raping the poor child she'd be expected to wait on that as well. If I were her parents, I'd sue the school for a dangerous uncorrected situation on the bus, defamation and whatever else a good personal injury lawyer could come up with. And if I were the parents of the bullied child, I'd sue the parents of the bullies and the school system.
@rickatoo...as a school bus driver, I really, truly, honestly care about my students and what happens on my bus. That being said, mordern buses have made the backs of the seats IMPOSSIBLY tall, and it is HELLA hard to see what is going on, and we do have to watch the road from time to time, too ;) I never would have let a disabled child sit anywhere but in the seat to my immediate right to prevent that kind of bullying.
I would NEVER support the district in deciding to kick a young hero like Stormy of my bus, but district always trumps school driver in policy like that :(
"i" hit the nail right on the head.
Welcome to the brave new world - blame the victim and punish those who stand up to bullshit until they get back in line with the other sheep! I hope this girl learns that the problem does not lie with her.
@Chrissy Buns - I agree about the seat backs, they are crazy tall. Is that for added safety or to prevent contact between kids in the rows in front or behind? I know the buses in our NY district have mirrors mounted over the windshield. I assume/guess that a group of kids bullying another would create a noticeable overspill of seat backs or aisle that the driver would be able to see?
Rich said she has been told she cannot ride the bus anymore because of the way she dealt with the situation.
spokesman for the school commented:
"You've got one side of the story ... There are other parents that are involved in this."
OTHER PARENTS.. that should be interesting.
Stormy's family should be really proud of her. I hope this press over the outcome changes thinking in her school district.
Good girl!
Fu(king Florida. I like Florida, I used to live in Florida...but what the hell is going on in that state? Seriously, it seems like every news story that seems bassakward comes from there. I think D Listed has a tag "can't believe this isn't in Florida" or something like that.
I am glad the girl did something and I hope people treat her like the true hero she is and her parents should be commended for raising such a lovely, strong young lady.
The public school systems all over this country stink and I worked for the local school district. So much unbelievable crap goes on. Schools get paid by the number of bodies in the seats in the class rooms in CA. If a student is absent it is a big f*ing deal.
The schools around here also "teach to the test"...they are not focused on the child learning or developing academically, but on how the child scores on the standardized test. Makes me ill to think about.
Which is why, even though I worked in the schools, my daughters attended our district's home school program. The girls met with their teacher once a week, but could attend more often if they wanted to study in the building.
They had a personalized, more well rounded curriculum, received extra help in subjects if they needed it . The best part is that the teachers are retired and trained in the "old school" methods which allows them to adapt each child's lesson plan to the learning modality that fits the student. Great program here and there is usually a waiting list to get into the program.
Sorry for the tangent and length, this subject really, really pisses me off....oh and the cost of text books is insane-actually the whole text book industry is insane...
@rickatoo...they are indeed for safety, but in the opinion of many drivers, they impede safety because even WITH the mounted mirror on the windshield (which is standard in all buses), we can't see what the little boogers are up to. Bullying is one worry, but I've also had kids giving each other *ahem* sexual favors...now they want to raise those seats even higher! lol!
I have kicked bullies off the bus several times, if I even catch wind of it, you are outta there. I personally take it very seriously. When those kids are on my bus, they are MINE! I get a little momma bear ;)
Two words: It's Florida.
The people in charge (police, school officials, etc.) don't really seem to give a shit about victims. The bullies were probably rich or their parents know the school officials. When they retaliate, she shouldn't be surprised when the teachers or principal look the other way. If I were her, I'd take self defense classes and have my mother call a lawyer.
I'm usually laughing at your comments - you've a pretty grand sense of humor. Making fun of a teenager girl's name in the comments of a story about bullying....just not cool. She can google it and I'm sure people are saying awful things and you're just one in a long line of people tearing apart her name, but do you have to be?
I want to guarantee my child grows up to be a stripper/porn star/burlesque performer. I shall name them Stormy.
She is 18, she has a great name in Stormy Rich and there is no long line of people tearing her up . Everybody is praising her here and elsewhere.
@Vicki, we proper Bostonians that reside here refer to it as Flori-DUH. Flesh eating zombie death here yesterday, can't wait for today's news at 11.
Ugh. I actually lived in Daytona through my elementary and middle school years until my family moved to Virginia. This year I graduate high school. I was so miserable before I moved. Their public school system is a fucking mess.
Well, then.. came ...Ingrid:)
"Stormy Rich will graduate next week with a 3.67 GPA and has been awarded scholarships. She strives to continue to help others and plans to start nursing studies at Daytona State College."
From The Daily Commercial.
Amen!! No matter what, she did the right thing. The others in this scenario are 1st class idiots.
Well, to be fair, they can either drive or monitor kids on bus, but not both.
True, most principals are idiots who got their job thru patronage, or dome district wanted to get rid of them.
Cowpoop
I can state that I would be hugely distressed if my child was force feeding a handicapped child on the bus- WITH my child, no one else.
Au contraire mon amie, I'm making fun of her parents :) She seems like a lovely young girl but I feel bad for her for getting that name. It's cute for a young girl but when she gets older? I wish parents would think about that before naming their kids.
I don't know the whole story so I'm not commenting on it.
It is decisions like this one that prove beyond any doubt that we need throw out all the teachers and school administrators and make them re-qualify for their positions. Hopefully setting the standard such that most of them cannot be rehired.
Oh I'm sure the very small percentage of comments that are making fun of her name(me included) probably won't even reach her. I'm sure her classmates think her name is cool. She'll be fine. It's just I've never heard anyone with the name "Stormy" that wasn't a stripper/porn actress/cabaret performer.
I knew a girl in high school with the name Stormi. Just as skanky as you think. I can't remember her sister's name, but it was equally morning shift pole dancer. I also knew a girl in college named Tricky. It wasn't her nickname, either. She was really nice, but that name!!
Shouldn't the bullied kid have been on the short bus? Isn't that why they have the short buses?? This should never have happened. I really don't know why this society keeps breeding victims. It's not like we don't all know better.
Thank goodness this girl stood up for what was right. I feel bad for the bullied kid. They're in for a rough ride, be it on the bus or not.
Now there's going to be a whole slew of d-bag parents screaming "My kid wasn't being a bully! My kid is perfect! It's everyone else's fault."
The most egregious offense is creating more work for the system.
Standing up against bullying gets you punished because you're making people work when they don't have to.
As the daughter of lifelong school teachers, I came to the conclusion a long time ago that schools would be much more efficient if we were to eliminate the administrative level altogether, especially the "Vice Principal."
the 'short bus' is most usually saved for pre-schoolers now, and only the most SEVERE cases of handicaps get their own transportation. It's sad, but across the board, they are taking money from transportation and a lot of the special needs routes have to be eliminated.
I cannot believe that in 2012 there are still people out there who think it's funny to pick on the disabled kid. What assholes. I'm sure the parents of these little shits were whining to the district about how Stormy was bulying THEIR pwecious widdle snowfwakes.
My mother's white trash cousins - in Florida, naturally - named their daughter Stormy Dawn. If she hadn't turned out plug ugly and had the first of four kids (by three different guys) at 17, I'm sure she would have LOVED climbing the pole for a living. Welfare doesn't pay as much, dontcha know.
*bullying
Wait...what????
See...it's because of stories like these that when people see something, they don't want to say something. My friend's father is a doctor. His partner was in the city and a guy had a heart attack right in front of him. He save the guys life, but broke a rib in the process. He was sued by the guy afterwards for breaking a rib. He said he will never ever help a stranger ever again, unless they are in his office and insured.
Bravo to this little hero. She's a bigger person that the school officials who should be punished for their ignorance.
1) I love the name Stormy. I almost wanted to try to get people to call me that, but my non-confrontational personality made the name an impossible fit.
2) If, ONE TIME, ONE TIME, ANYONE, ANYONE had stood up for me while I was being bullied for being the ugly kid with the out of date clothes and quirky personality and rigid, nerdy, religious family, I would have been moved to tears, and maybe my life would have taken a different trajectory. Who knows? Anyone who witnesses bullying, I encourage you to not only confront the bullies but assist the bullied. This girl is a wonder. The school system is not inclined to help the individual; it is inclined to serve the masses. The quirky ones get trampled. Hurray for her.
3) nothing from nothing is nothing (how I always read ___-____=___), I don't know what you are saying. You usually say society should not breed psychopaths; this time you said it should not breed victims. I don't know what you mean. People should not have disabled children? Please clarify if you see this.
Brava to her. The system clearly wasn't working. To stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves is doing the right thing, regardless of whatever rules paper-pushers decide to put in place.
in the long run it was still the best thing for stormy. studies have shown that kids who stand by and so nothing about bullying are as traumatized as the victims themselves. its about losing your power. what kind of piece of shit would pick on an impaired child. i pity the parents of those bullies. their reward is yet to come.
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