Parents continue bullying conversation at Orrville school board meeting
ORRVILLE − Nearly 15 parents attended Thursday's Board of Education meeting to share their concerns about students being bullied in City Schools.
The previous week, students staged a walkout to draw attention to the problem and call for action after freshman Allicia Beam died by suicide. Her mother and other students believe she was being bullied.
Several parents said the school district's policy for combating bullying is inadequate and urged the board to take action to ensure the safety of all students.
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Jacci Sickman said, as a parent, she is willing to do anything she can to fix the problem.
“I shouldn’t (have to) take my 14-year-old to go to say goodbye to her friend," Sickman told the school board. "I don’t want to see any more kids hurt that way. These kids don’t deserve that; they deserve better from us."
She suggested the school, parents and students work together to find the best solution.
The board members agreed.
“You are right," said board President Greg Roadruck. "It’s a complex problem and it breaks everybody’s heart."
Orrville parent recommends anti-bullying education for students
Robin Spark, a parent who said she survived school bullying in a different school district, has been researching solutions to help the community.
Spark said she received anti-bullying education during her elementary school years and all through middle school, which made a big difference for her.
“By the time I reached high school I had enough information to keep the bullies out of my head, and I learned that my life has value,” she said.
Spark urged the board to add anti-bullying programs next school year. She said she spoke with different organizations and school districts to learn about their anti-bullying education.
She also mentioned that the state can help with funding such programs in schools.
“Bullying is not something to be ashamed of, but to stand up against,” Spark said.
She urged students take part in National Anti-Bullying Awareness Month in October.
Spark asked to sit one-on-one with board members to share her ideas of how students can participate and provide a list of contacts for anti-bullying programs.
“I think the Friday with the kids stepping out was a cry asking for help,” she said.
Students, parents, teachers, principals, and the Board of Education should all be involved in efforts to cub bullying, Spark told the school board.
“It truly takes a village to raise a child,” she said.
Moving to Orrville has been challenging for Christina Bogees’ sons since they moved from Columbus in 2021. She said one of her sons has been bullied within the first week of attending school.
“I did all the things that parents are programmed to do,” she said, noting that didn’t solve the problem. “I watched the light in my 10-year-old's eyes start to dim."
She said students, parents and administrators helped create the problem and are responsible for fixing it.
“If we don’t step up and figure this out there will be a long line of tragedies that follow,” she said.
Orrville schools looking into joining Purdue Pharma lawsuit
The Board of Education will consider joining a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma L.P. over its role in the opioid crisis.
Juul settlement: Juul e-cigarette settlement money coming to Wayne, Ashland and Holmes school districts
“I don’t think it’s going to be structured the same way as Juul’s and there are a lot of other people trying to take a piece of the pie,” Superintendent Jon Ritchie said.
He assured there will be no cost to the district and said he will meet with the legal counsel to discuss the matter.
Purdue Pharma had promoted the use of OxyContin for a broad range of pain issues for which doctors previously had shied away from prescribing opioids.
Orrville City Schools will enter into a new agreement with LLA Therapy to provide services for students. The licensed therapist is specialized in speech, behavioral, physical, and occupational therapy.
The next meeting is 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Parents call for action against bullying in Orrville City Schools
