Bullying in Fayetteville, Arkansas
I was horrified by a front-page story that the New York Times ran today on the bullying of a high school sophomore in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The article details the numerous run-ins with bullies of one Billy Wolfe, and the sometimes shocking injuries he's received at their hands. The bullying continues, so apparently the school district isn't doing enough.
I wrote this to the Fayetteville school district today:
I read with dismay today an article on the front page of the New York Times about the bullying of one Billy Wolfe, a high school student in Fayetteville. It appears that Billy has been suffering horrific treatment at the hands of bullies, and that he has not been getting the help he needs from school officials. I think the Fayetteville Public Schools would do well to issue a statement outlining what it intends to do in this case, and how it intends to prevent such bullying from happening to other students in the future. Thank you.Seeing as it's the most prominent religious group in the state of Arkansas, I thought the Southern Baptist Convention should also be concerned, so I wrote this to their Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission:
I read with dismay today a front-page New York Times article detailing the bullying of a high school student named Billy Wolfe in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (The article can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/us/24land.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1) Wolfe has suffered repeated physical and verbal assaults from bullies. Often, these bullies accuse him of being homosexual (which he is not), and use it to justify their actions. For example, an anti-Billy Wolfe Facebook group started by a couple bullies carried the following description: "There is no reason anyone should like billy he’s a little bitch. And a homosexual that NO ONE LIKES." (Forgive the profanity and circular reasoning.)With those emails sent, I decided to do a little analysis of portions of the NYT article. Here's that, with my comments in red:
In a cursory examination of the SBC website, I found much discussion of homosexuality, but none of bullying. As the most prominent religious group in the state of Arkansas, I think the SBC would do well to offer a strong statement on its position on school bullying and to make clear that, regardless of its position on homosexuality, it denounces using others' supposed homosexuality as a pretense for violence against them. Thank you.
A car the color of a school bus pulls up with a boy who tells his brother beside him that he’s going to beat up Billy Wolfe. While one records the assault with a cellphone camera, the other walks up to the oblivious Billy and punches him hard enough to leave a fist-size welt on his forehead. This is criminal, unprovoked assault, right? Caught on camera, right? Were criminal charges brought against the assailant? If not, why not?Given the multiple times Billy Wolfe has lost consciousness from sucker punches, I'd say he's at risk for brain damage from all this bullying he's been receiving. The Wolfe family is considering a lawsuit against the Fayetteville Schools, but such a lawsuit will not undo all the misery that Billy and his family have suffered. I hope that Fayetteville and other school districts consider this article a wake-up call, and that officials do their professional duty, not to mention their basic moral duty, to combat school bullying in the future.
...addressing the bullying of Billy has become a second job for his parents...They also reject any suggestion that they should move out of the district because of this. We have a system of law and order, and one thing this system should strive to ensure is that innocent people don't have to move because they're being harassed and assaulted. I'm sure anyone who's suggested to the Wolfe family that they move is trying to be practical and helpful, but the article makes clear that not enough has been done by authorities - school or law enforcement - to help the Wolfe family. This is a failure of the system, and all citizens should be concerned.Not long after, a boy on the school bus pummeled Billy, but somehow Billy was the one suspended, despite his pleas that the bus’s security camera would prove his innocence. Days later, Ms. Wolfe recalls, the principal summoned her, presented a box of tissues, and played the bus video that clearly showed Billy was telling the truth. WTF? This makes the school authorities sound pretty incompetent, and in the magical land where organizations promptly respond to demands from willyates.com for statements, the Fayetteville Schools would address this incident in that statement I'm hoping they'll issue.
Billy, busy building a miniature house, didn’t see it coming: the boy hit him so hard in the left cheek that he briefly lost consciousness. Ms. Wolfe remembers the family dentist sewing up the inside of Billy’s cheek, and a school official refusing to call the police, saying it looked like Billy got what he deserved. Uh, this sounds like a total failure to act like a school official on the part of the school official. If this is a fair account of what happened, the official should be disciplined.
And the bullies? They need to cut it out. If they're interested in the quality of their own future as adults, anyone who writes and believes something as poorly constructed, fallacious and hateful as "There is no reason anyone should like billy he’s a little bitch. And a homosexual that NO ONE LIKES", should focus more on their education and less on being a bully. They'll be glad they did.
posted by Will Yates at 3:05 PM
44 Comments:
Why don't Billy Wolfe's parents enroll him in a martial arts or a boxing class so he can learn to get tough and defend himself. The only thing bullies understand is pain and humiliation. Otherwise they will rob him of his childhood and adolescence, stunting his social growth so that he never reaches his academic and vocational potential. The issue of bullying stems from our society's unwillingness to recognize that people have individual rights and that these rights include the right to live outside the norm without fear of violence. It seems as though the school is tacitly approving of Billy's treatment by casting him as a "disruptive outsider". If the school principal experienced the type of treatment Billy suffers on a daily basis, the order of protections would be served on the thugs so fast their heads would spin.
I read this today and also wrote the superintendent of he Fayetteville School district Dr. New. I am a doctor in family medicine and a gay man. This story upset me on so many levels--but with this prima facie evidence citizens should demand justice for these kids. Also, the use of homosexuality as justification for violence is rising, and this is disturbing. I am happy to hear that someone else contacted this school district and would urge others to do the same.
For Immediate Release
District Issues Statement on NY Times Article
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark--In response to the article on bullying in the March 24, 2008 edition of the New York Times, the Fayetteville School District has issued the following statement:
The Fayetteville School District has a long-standing policy of no tolerance for any type of harassment, including bullying. The district developed policies and staff training in the 1990s to equip staff members with the skills to identify situations where harassment may be taking place and to deal with the situation in accordance with the district’s student discipline policy.
Mr. Barry was provided with this information. Unfortunately, he chose not to use it in the story, casting our school district in a very bad and undeserved light.
As is sometimes the case in a news report, the whole story is not told in Mr. Barry’s article. In fact, the whole story cannot be told, since the Federal Family and Educational Right to Privacy Act prohibits the release of any information from a student’s records to anyone other than the student’s parent or guardian. Mr. Barry mistakenly assumes that the district’s lack of comment on the issue reflects a lack of action on the part of the district.
Mr. Barry’s story would lead the reader to believe that we ignore student discipline and are insensitive to those students who are harassed. In fact, student discipline is our constant focus and EVERY incident in which the school has jurisdiction is investigated and due process is afforded all parties involved. However, it is important to note that incidents of this nature often take place off the school campus or outside the school day where the school district does not have jurisdiction.
We recognize and regret that, unfortunately, from time to time these incidents are going to occur. We work diligently to prevent harassment through education, but when it does happen, we deal with its aftermath, which involves fair treatment of all concerned.
If a student is found to be in violation of the student discipline policy, the prescribed punishment is imposed on the offender, and the victim is provided the necessary services to allow them to return to class.
Our district also utilizes officers from the Fayetteville Police Department, who are on campus every day and work with our staff members to provide a safer, more secure environment. The officers also provide training to teachers and students on bullying.
The small number of student discipline issues we have each year is a reflection of the focused learning environment in our schools. We zealously protect the learning environment, since learning cannot take place if a student is worried about his health or safety.
###
Alan T. Wilbourn
Public Information Officer
Fayetteville Public Schools
PO Box 849
Fayetteville, AR 72701
(479) 973-8654
www.fayar.net
Billy is no victim - you're getting a tiny part of the truth. He used to be a bully when he was bigger than most boys. He used to bully my son. So don't cast him as a hapless victim - to this day he still taunts and provokes others.
I do not condone anyone bullying or assaulting anyone. But he is not innocent nor blameless.
I also read the NYTimes article today and was shocked enough to try to write to the parents of Billy Wolfe. I am a parent myself and believe that Billy's parents need to remove their son from this environment. Of course, there will be more to the story, and Billy may not be competely blameless, but he cannot grow and thrive in his current school. I read the response from the Fayetteville school district, and am savvy enough to recognize that his parents may well want to cast him in favorable light in print because of the lawsuits they are considering; but for the sake of the child, he needs to be moved to a different school. Message to Ms. Wolfe: Your comment on the slideshow at nytimes.com says it all: "I pray to God that they don't kill him...." tells me you are (must be) reconsidering your opinion on keeping your son in this school. WINNING A LAWSUIT, OR FIGHTING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT IN YOUR SCHOOL DISTRIT IS NOT THE BEST THING FOR BILLY. SAVE BILLY FIRST, and then continue to volunteer your time to work on bullying in the Fayetteville schools. Most parents who have read about your situation believe that you have a case, but don't use your son's experience to prove this to the school district. This won't make Billy a better person in the end. You need to let him learn and grow in a less charged environment. You clearly love your son. DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR HIM and research other school options, there are many. -Signed a concerned mom in California
Hopefully Billy's parents are reading this blog - some good advice here. First, your boy may not be blameless - and after 4 years of this, he has probably been scarred. You will want to try to see your child in a possibly unflattering but realistic light, and make decisions based on what you see. Second, think about things to build his self-esteem and assertiveness. Bullies look for kids who don't have much of either. Tae Kwan Do or Karate could help. And think about moving and giving him the chance to start over - even if for only his last year of school. You have left him in a toxic environment for too long.
he causes this all on himself....one example in the NY times where hes switching classes at woodland and the guy punches him...yeah b/c he was making fun of his DEAD mother....is he really innocent? or does he just provoke the situations hes been in?
Last commenter: I missed the spot in the article where it mentions Wolfe making fun of someone's dead mother. Could you point me to that spot, please? The closest I can find is the incident in shop class where other boys convince a boy that Wolfe had been making fun of his mother, when he hadn't.
I live in Oakland, CA, a city with infamously rough public schools and a level of bullying that can, and does, break all but the most resilient students. Unfortunately, two out three of my boys were picked on from a early age, especially my oldest who is on the autistic spectrum. Autistic kids are an especially tasty treat for vicious bullies because kids like my son do not recognize faces.
The biggest mistake I made as a parent was to try to work things out with teachers and staff when problems began. If I learned anything at all, it was this: parents cannot count on school administrators to be anything except defensive when behavior problems happen because their first professional responsibility is to protect themselves, their staff and their school district. That's just the way it is.
You cannot count on public school employees to put the safety of your child first, to be his advocate or to be your ally. If I could do it all again I would have yanked my son out school the very first time kids picked on him and found the most ferocious educational rights lawyer money can buy. Instead we endured years of pooh-poohing and let's-be-reasonable delay tactics-- just like you. No kid can learn in an unsafe, toxic environment. There are plenty of wonderful schools set up for kids with mild to moderate LD issues out and one might be just right for Billy. My advice is to find one. Then sue the hell out of the Fayetteville School District and make them pay for it.
Does it really matter what the kid said, or if he stirs up trouble? These other kids are pounding him!
I am 37, so I grew up in a different time, but if a teacher called my house and told my parents I knocked another boy out cold, they would have beat me within an inch of my life.
You can't have it both ways. Either we live in 2008, and children need to be protected at school, by laws and staff, or, go old school and the parents of the bullies should be whipping their kids asses. Have they no shame?
P.S. This does nothing for the national image of Arkansas. I know most of you don't care, but your Governor cares, and anyone involved with economic development cares. Why should I move my family to Fayetteville for a new job, and take the chance that he's going to get pummeled every day.
I sent this email to Fayetteville Public Schools:
Now that this story has blown up, it would be normal for you, both in print and in your mind, to cast your district as the victim.
"Look at the thousands of kids we have educated," you might say.
"We run a first class district," you might think.
"That Wolfe boy is no angel himself," people will offer.
"We have overwhelming support from the community," you'll tell yourself.
Let me ask you this, even if Wolfe is a troublemaker, and even if the NYT didn't tell the whole story, how does a boy get beaten that savagely, that many times, under your supervision?
That's why this story is blowing up. That's what the rest of America can't understand.
I realize you can't comment because of pending litigation, and because of student privacy rules. That makes this debate one-sided.
So I'm asking you to ask yourself, "Did we fail Billy Wolfe?"
This is a little like the story of the blind men and the elephant... The media has presented one small piece of this story and everyone is jumping on it. Yes...as it is presented, the story of the story of the boy jumping out of the car to beat up on him appears to be an unprovoked attack - what isn't said is that it was a continuation of an ongoing conflict; it didn't strike out of the blue like a bolt of lightning.
I am not denying bullying occurs nor am I trying to say it is not a serious problem in our (the nation's) schools...however...I AM saying, there is much more to this particular case than meets the eye and I hope that people with firsthand knowledge of the situation bring the facts to light in a straightforward and rational manner.
In case you're wondering, I am not the mother of any persons involved in any incidence of bullying involving Billy Wolfe - neither as victim nor perpetrator.
I heard a little about suing teenagers. When a person wins, they can wait to collect their dues years down the road. Maybe it should be looked into by all the individuals involved. Meaning, all will see that they may have to pay for their actions years down the road and committing those acts at a young age does not absolve you from actions being done while they are youths. Does anyone else know more about this?
Is it not obvious that this is a publicity stunt? The parents are blowing this way out of proportion and trying to get as much attention as they can.
I go to Fayetteville High School myself and this is such an isolated event that I don't really understand the big fuss is. The Fayetteville School District has a very strong anti-bullying campaign that has worked very well in the past several years.
Sure, it's possible that Mr. Wolfe was bullied without cause, but it's almost impossible to implement a perfect system to ensure the safety of every single student in our school. There are over 2000 students that attend our school alone and I believe that the administration has done an exemplary job of maintaining control.
The author is also heavily biased...this kid is 6'3, come on, this author makes it look like he's 5' at best...you don't know the whole story.
As an AP Statistics student, I am taught to look at facts and data rather than exclusively heart-touching stories.
I watched this story on the Today show this morning.
My 14 year old was recently the target of a bully. My son was sitting at his desk and this bully threw him up against the wall, then down to the floor where he hit his head so hard that he was dizzy and 'fuzzy' thinking. In the process his thumb got broke!
It took awhile to get it out of my son what happened. He is afraid of the bully and was afraid of retaliation. After being talked to by the principal seperately AND together with the bully, it was deteremined that the bully was just 'playing'. This kid as a history of hurting kids including his own siblings.
A child should has a civil right to go to the school without being called names or being assaulted. It disgusts me how some schools force the VICTIM to change, "don't look at the bully", change classes, walk a seperate way home. Why isnt it the ATTACKER the one to make the changes? It sickens me! And the way that school is handling this? I would sue them too! Shame on them!
I hope this family sticks with it. Fight it until the end! You have the support of many familys who are going thru the same thing!
The identity of the bully (revealed in the lawsuit) is Ian Teeters (and several John Does who are underage).
I hope they win and I hope this Ian Teeters jerk gets pummeled.
I should note here that willyates.com does not endorse violence against anyone.
No one and I mean no one deserves endless torment. It is not easy to deal with this type of abuse. The damage does not go away when you graduate school or continue in life. It builds a hate and anger for later in life. Other parents said he bullied their kid, OK did he do it for years or build a website to attack them, did he attack them in a pack like rats? I think these kids should be sued for lost education, and the professional treatment it will take to reverse the damage that has been done. In addition to money for a private education to complete school. Kids are no different today then when I was tormented in school the difference is now it doesn't end when you go home. Billy should be able to be himself. It seems to me he is a good kid who is a victim. If he reads this, don't let them win, don't let them beat you down. Do not retaliate in violence unless nessisary. Understand these kids who are attacking you will always be less of a person than you and go nowhere in life.
As for the school system, like any other they are a joke, sue them too. If they had your interent in mind they would take measures to end this. They would have expelled the kids who created the site for starters.
Like all suggest take a defense class and defend yourself when nessisary.
MR AND MRS WOLFE!
there is a reason these "teachers" and "admin" are working in public schools. Goes to ability.
Stop trying to work within the system they manage. As an attorney and an ex-federal prosecutor, I strongly suggest you get more aggressive in the criminal and civil courts for resolution. Good Luck. I was bullied myself as a teen and I too became angry, aggressive, jaded and uninterested in many things from it for many years. I understand your position. Good Luck
I hope that the students responsible for violence are punished. However, as a parent and as a taxpayer, I don't think the parents are doing the right thing if they decide to sue the school district. From all appearances, the district's position has not been given fair treatment or attention in the media. Their hands are tied because the law prohibits them from speaking out. The boy and his parents can say anything they wish. The boy doesn't even know all of the facts about the abuse, so his mother has to correct him. Sounds a bit like the mother is doing something deceptive and wishes to use some disturbing situations involving her own child to get money. This is sick and sad. She should move the child into a better environment, see that the bullys are punished, get her child some counseling, and get herself some help. The district is charged with educating and should not have money taken away from its students because of this problem. Whatever happened to punishing the criminals and moving on? Everyone in this society wants to sue, drag out bad situations, and use victims for their own purposes. Sick.
Two comments up: If I'm reading you right, you're saying that public school teachers and administrators are by definition lacking in ability. I'll have to disagree with you there.
Sounds like just the kind of thing a lawyer would say...
Okay...just for the sake of argument, let us say that sometimes he gets picked on, and sometimes he instigates it... Now, when he gets picked on by stronger boys, that's one thing, and it's wrong.... but when a person instigates a confrontation but doesn't have the muscle to back it up, whose fault is it then that they get the beat down?
All I'm trying to say here is, I don't think that the truth of this matter lies at either extreme.
I suggest that required reading for this high school be Jodi Picoult's Nineteen minutes about a school shooting and the causes leading up to it. A serious discussion of this book is needed in regards to the consequences of bullying.
Fuck any one who does not feel bad for this kid. I had the same problem here where a other kid beat the shit out of me after he made fun of me then I made fun of him back...He started ...and these bastards are first admentment prohibiting douche bags. He should sue the living fuck out of his school for prohibiting his amendments and for be a shitty ass school
Last commenter: How are Wolfe's First Amendment rights being violated?
Mr. Yates, I find it humorous that you did not consider the other side of the story. How do you not know that this kid isn't the innocent one? What if he's the real bully and just pulling a publicity stunt? Do you know if the school district is doing anything about it? As a student of FHS, I cannot believe that Fayetteville should be targeted as a bullying city. Our town doesn't deserve this negative media.
And to comment on one of the earlier posts, Billy Wolfe did in fact make fun of a student's dead mother. It's not specifically in an article but if you ask any students of FHS, they will tell you something similar.
Last commenter: I read the article, was outraged, and blogged about it. Not being a professional investigative journalist myself, that's about all I have time for. It's true that this article, just like any article I read, could be false; I just took it on faith. I was surprised by the number of comments by humble blog post received, and I learned a lot, including from people like yourself who are actually connected to the case. So I disagree that my one-sidedness is humorous. I'm just an amateur writing my thoughts on my personal blog, and I don't have time to adhere to professional journalistic standards.
I agree that this story shouldn't be read as "What's wrong with Fayetteville?" but rather "What's wrong with our national culture that this kind of thing can happen?" (Of course, this is an inappropriate question to ask in this case if the "other side of the story" is actually the correct one.)
You don't even know this kid...his reputation for being honest isn't that good, unfortunately. The people where I lived were generally harassed by him. To stop his bullying, he shouldn't have instigated so many fights.
Yes Billy wolfe was being bullied, but he starts it. Not only does he start it he also aggs it on when the other person calms down and tries to back away, Billy says things that makes it hard to wlak away he just goes and goes even after the "bully" tells him they suggest he stop. I'm not saying Billy deserved what happened to him i'm just saying he needs to learn when to stop and hopefully now he knows. Billy also tells what the other person does he don't tell what he does which he usally starts it by saying the wrong thing to the wrong person. I have heard him say something like " my family and I have a lot of money if you don't stop looking at me and talking about me I will hire a hitman to kill you" and honestly he said that to 2 really good friends of mine and they didn't do anything because woodland jr. highs principal Dr.Lawson was there at the time of being said.
It's amazing how this post took on a life of its own. I'm taking an extended break from blogging to focus on my music career, but I thank everyone for their comments, including the few that continue to trickle in every now and then (as of August '08).
I am a fellow schoolmate of Billy Wolfe. Here are some facts that seem to be over looked. For one thing, more often than not, Billy does indeed start these fights. Also, I am the brother of one of the boys he is suing. At the time Billy officially filed the law suit, he and my brother were in different schools. Yes, my brother is younger than Billy. And another thing, most of you out there feeling sorry for Billy, don't even live in Fayetteville, if even Arkansas. Presently, I can count the locals who feel sorry for him on a few of my fingers. One of the things stated in the law suit is a conspiracy to hit Billy. As most people will tell you, he pushed my brother before he got hit. One final fact, the only reason my brother got sued at all is because if the Wolfes had waited another day, they wouldn't have been able do anything due to the statute of limitation.
I just saw a repeat of this story on the Mike and Juliet Show this morning and I was APPAULED!! How 'bout getting these bullies (classless low-lifes) in a room with Big Ole Bubba for about an hour... better yet, make the parents of these punks watch!! I'm sure that would be an EYE-OPENING experience for them! Maybe then, they would realize what it's like to have that kind of fear put in them. If nothing else, turn about is fair play! I know our society doesn't work that way and it's unrealistic, so I hope and pray that these menaces to society and their families pay dearly with EVERYTHING they have, emotionally as well as financially!! NO ONE deserves to be treated like Billy Wolfe has been treated. People who say the whole story wasn't told... well, I SAW THE VIDEO!! I SAW THE PHOTOGRAPHS!! That should, and I'm sure, will be the bottom line when it goes to court! Good luch to you Billy Wolfe and family! I support you ALL the way!
Just watched the segment on Dateline concerning Billy Wolfe.What a heart-wrenching story.I know exactly how this crap goes down having been bullied myself when I was in high school.There's always going to be buddies of the bullies who will tell any lies they can think of to keep their buds from getting in trouble.Kids like this and the parents who defend their actions (like the clueless mom who was defending the crap her son was writing about Billy online)should all be sued till the cows come home.Good luck to the Wolfes and I hope you get the justice you deserve.
What makes me upset is how people on this wall post stuff without really knowing anything about what a highschooler goes through if thats even a word hah. i mean some of these people are in there 30's, assuming certain things and saying " they should put the principle in billy wolfs shoes blah blah" my point is that many adults that comment have probably been bullied in their past and are reflecting their memories on this event, if that even makes sense hah. I don't believe that Billy Wolf is as innocent as he is being portrayed. I am currently enrolled at the FHS and before this entire mess had occurred i can remember other students discussing of how Billy Wolf would talk 'trash' and insult them in numerous ways. I have nothing against anyone at my school, i just find it unfair of the humiliation Billy Wolf put our high school through, if not the entire Fayetteville school district. i believe the teachers/faculty are doing a good job in preventing bullying. I roam the halls from class to class, and honestly don't see much of any bullying. So why is Billy the only boy in the entire school that is having this problem? a anonymous post before mine argues: "the issue of bullying stems from our society's unwillingness to recognize that people have individual rights and that these rights include to live outside the norm without fear of violence" i understand his point, but don't completely agree. entering highschool is a bigger taste of what life really is. in the real world if you make fun of someones dead mother, you are more likely going to get a good punch to the face. what im trying to say is that your actions, no matter what your age is should have consequences and in this case its being beaten up. i believe times have changed and bulling doesn't just happen. i think this whole situation is more like a fight gone bad, i don't know the exact situation between billy wolf and ian teeters but from wolf's background im going to have to point my finger his way. he does have a background of beating up other students at an earlier age as commented by an angry parent. i understand this happened a while back hah but i just felt like i had to say what was on my mind about this incident. Nothing against billy wolf, he's probably a cool guy, just needs to know when to shut it hah.
I was floored when I saw this poor kid's story on Dateline. I cannot believe a school district would allow this behavior to go on. After seeing one of the bully's and his mother interviewed, it's not hard to see why this kid is the way he is. Well, mom there are all sorts of grown up boys sitting in JAIL because their mothers didn't teach them to always show respect for others. I hope to God the Wolf family wipes out the bank accounts of parents of these bullies as well as the school. Shame on Fayetteville HS
My son had a few problems with bullies. I gave the school one chance to take care of the situation. After that I waited for the parents of these kids afterschool. Needless to say, they never bothered my son again. Wake up Fayetteville. This country has suffered from a number of school shootings. These unfortunate shootings are usually the result of kids being bullied for years. Unfortunately they usually kill people that had nothing to do with the bullying.
This subject has probably been dropped already or whatever, I'm not quiet sure. But anyway I went to school with Billy during middle school and at the high school. I'd like to say that he is not innocent at all. He is usually the one who starts crap with other students because he doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut let alone he thinks he's all tough. But the truth is he isn't and he shouldn't be picking fights with students he doesn't know or students who are bigger then him. He claims to know how to beat up someone once his mouth goes off and he gets into trouble he runs away from the situation and cries to his parents. I think Billy needs to just keep his mouth shut so students won't be picking on him or finishing a fight he started with them.
Billy Wolfe's mother is looking for money to compensate her for the fact that her son has behavioral and emotional problems. Compare the histories of Wolfe, Teeters, and Starks. Who has the history of emotional problems, behavioral problems and fighting in school. The answer might surprise you.
As one who is VERY VERY familiar with the workings of Fayetteville Public Schools & its so called "officials". I am not the least bit suprised by the fact that this young man was assaulted on numerous occasions and nothing was done to the assailants. The administrators, principals, and teachers will make their "own" calls on any given situation, instead of following their "Handbook Rules". If a given child has ever done something wrong, let alone if they have ever done something wrong more than once, that child is "pegged" worthless to "save" and therefore they then deserve all they get from other students. And some of the teachers and principals stop following their own rules. Instead of trying to help that child, praising them for job well done, they nit-pick about little things.
Here is an example:
An Elementary student is picked on by a group of classmates, name calling as well as physical assaults. The Mother talks to the school counselor about having logged a complaint with the principal about the situation but nothing was done. The said counselor states to this Mother that they have other students complaining about this same "bullying group", but said counselor states to the Mother the pricipal is aware but it won't do any good to tell them because they won't do anything about it. Then at a meeting, after yet another incident, this same counselor turns on their previous statement and says they believe this group of "BULLIES" are just trying to be friends with this Mother's child. I ask anyone who wishes to respond, "Even if that statement were 1000% correct, what are those students doing to that child and what are the school officials allowing them to do and therefore commiting the same offense?"
BULLYING
There is nothing else it can be called. They are trying to force a situation that is not wanted!!!!! And mistreatment is unpunished.
The officials in this school district do not want parents to rock their little "BOAT". And as someone who has seen first hand, if you do they will go out of their way to make the parents life hell. The part that is sickening about the situation is the suffering the child or children are made to endure, because these people who have a little "power" have to show those parents who is boss. What ever happened to compassion or concern for these children?
As long as a parent does the "official" brown-nosing to these arrogant (should be drug-tested twice monthly) miscreants, then you might get cooperation 50% of the time for them to enforce their own handbook. But if at any point you question them on their handling of a situation then you can look forward to years of torment for your child or children, not to mention the nit-pickitis you as parents will have to put up with concerning all things your child might or might not do while @ school.
These adults are more concerned about themselves and how a parent might speak to them or question them than they are about what the children might need. They are a gaggle of geese who have no respect for "Privacy". And I say this about the Bottom rung to the TOP of this rubble heap of conceit. Its all about them.
These "officials" know who to pick on and who to leave alone. And we know how that statment breaks down another way. Those who have money and those who don't. It is a travesty to me that this still happens.
These same "POWER" flexing egomaniacs should consider their actions towards every child they HAVE to encounter because of their CHOSEN FIELD. AND REMEMBER THE SCHOOL MASSACRES WE HAVE WITNESSED IN THIS COUNTRY.
Don't get me wrong, I do believe there are good caring teachers and administrators, but unfortunately after the taste of just a few in ones mouth it can cause a sane adult to become jaded towards all, consider what it is doing to the psyche of the children who are forced to experience injustice at the hands of those in athority who believe their way is the only way, just because they said so.
I personally pray that whoever is seated to replace Bobby New gets his own crew in, and concerns themself with the CHILDREN AND NOT THE PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS, THEY SHOULD BE SECONDARY.
Hold them to a elevated standard and the children will follow easier. When you have adults who behave in childlike manners and kids see this what can be expected? When children have school employees curse them how can you expect respect being shown?
When a child of one color is allowed to perpetrate a wrong in front of a teacher with no consequence, and a child of another color sees this and then tries it themself with consequence. Where is the equity and how can you expect any respect?
Children of the poor who may have disiplinary problems are not dealt with in an equitable manner to his more monied conterpart with the same problems in this school system. Those who are not able financially to relocate their child are forced to endure mistreatment and MALTREATMENT because they have no system to back them up against the "Establishment". And for the caring parents of these children you hold your breath every morning as they leave for school, you catch your breath everytime your phone rings thru the day and your a nervous wreck waiting to hear WHAT happened today when they do get home. What kind of life is that?
These people chose to teach and be the administrators at our schools if they can't handle the heat they need to go flip burgers.
I strongly support merit pay, but not just for teachers, but for the whole lot. Make it where good teachers can report their Bad counterparts without repercussions. Make a school board answer to the community not the administration.
Nothing would suprise me about Fayetteville Public Schools.
I know for a fact that one of their schools Principal and a teacher were put on the Arkansas Department of Human Services Child Maltreatment Registry 2 years ago. Neither one was ever suspended during the investigation or anything.
But I guess the circles higher up are tighter than one might think.
I'd love to tell what I know to an attorney who has some gumption. But some of those pockets are padded by the same as well.
This state is notorious for turning a blind eye to wrongs and broken laws by those in Official capacity.
And attorney's who see them but are more worried about who they might have to cross this year than to right a wrong.
And these same Official's in so many different offices want to portray Arkansas as an "EDUMACATED" state. haha
There are a lot of ostriches sticking their heads in the sand in Fayetteville. My family & I just moved here from the Rocky Mountain region at the beginning of the school year. I have a child in middle school & a child in junior high (the same ones Wolfe attended). Both of my children have been repeatedly bullied since we moved here, & neither of them have ever been bullied in the past. Both of them have been physically assaulted since we moved here, & neither of them had been in a physical fight in their lives. It happens at school, on the bus, & in our neighborhood (a so-called "nice" neighborhood). Just today, I had to contact the school administration about threats against my child from a child that has been harassing her since the beginning of the year...& already attacked her once. The bully even screamed the threats in front of a teacher, who just told her to leave the area...& did nothing more. My husband & I have never seen anything like this in our lives & are coming to understand that there is a culture of violence & aggression here. It is embraced. It is pervasive. It is covered up. It is excused...just like many of the commenters are doing. I don't know Wolfe or anything about the situation. What I do know is that words never justify beatings. What I do know is that Fayetteville has a serious problem. What I do know is that parents who pardon or justify this behavior....or say that the victim needs to "toughen up".....are just contributing to the existing problem. It's no wonder bullying is so pervasive here when parents are excusing it! Unless things dramatically improve, I'll continue counting the days until my family & I can leave this wretched place!
~A graduate student at the U of A
Don't think he's so innocent. He himself may have instigated the fight and comments preluding the evident attack, not that the attack itself was deserved in any way. Billy himself kicked a disabled boy's cat in the past...I don't have any pity on him.
hi there...
I know this is a very late comment and the whole Billy Wolfe thing is completely over in Fayetteville. However, I was shocked and even hysterically laughing at some of these comments.
Most of you people know NOTHING whatsoever about the entire situation and what went on.
One of my very best friends is Billy's neighbor, and she and her brother (who attended FHS with Billy) have seen, on numerous accounts, the cruelness of Billy to a disabled boy who lives on their street. He would go up to the disabled boy (who is confined to a wheelchair) and say horrible things like "retard" and "dumba**".
He also started many of the fights that he got into, as many of the people who actually LIVE in Fayetteville have stated. He would go up to students in FHS and push THEM around and call THEM names, not the other way around.
Billy Wolfe was never, and will never be, a victim. He was a troublemaker and an instigator, just like his irresponsible parents.
Sincerely,
a Fayetteville resident and FHS student
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