School Bullying Council

Edward Boisselle weighs in on Phoebe Prince case
Edward Boisselle weighs in on Phoebe Prince case.
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Ed Boisselle, the former chairman for the South Hadley School Committee, said this week he was “dumbfounded” by statutory rape charges that were filed against two South Hadley high school students in connection with the alleged bullying of Phoebe Prince prior to her suicide.

“I’m sort of dumbfounded by the statutory rape charges,” said Boisselle.

“I hear that there was a conflict between these girls and Phoebe over a relationship I assume with the boys, that’s the only reason, I can understand, the charges I guess have really anything to do with bullying. To my recollection, I don’t know the last time a district attorney has actually indicted a high school age student, on that charge. It was a relationship with another high school student.”

Boisselle’s recent comments came during a wide-ranging series of interviews Tuesday with University of Massachusetts investigative journalism students examining South Hadley and the aftermath of Prince’s suicide. His comments came one day before reports began surfacing that five of the six students charged in connection with Prince’s bullying had negotiated plea deals.

Staff Photo by Dave RobackAustin Renaud appears at a hearing in Hampshire District Court on Tuesday afternoon. Renaud is involved in the Phoebe Prince case.

South Hadley teens Sean Mulveyhill and Austin Renaud were charged in March of last year with statutory rape of Phoebe Prince, who was 15 at the time of her death. Mulveyhill and four other South Hadley students were given additional charges related to bullying, which former Northwestern district attorney Elizabeth Scheibel said led to Prince’s suicide. Renaud’s case is scheduled to go to trial in July.

Boisselle touched upon a number of issues Tuesday, including the behavior of the media and The Boston Globe’s Kevin Cullen, and the behavior of a number of residents in town, including Darby O’Brien and Luke Gelinas. And, he repeatedly defended the actions of South Hadley High Principal Dan Smith as well as Superintendent of Schools Gus Sayer.

“The innuendo and half truths that end up having people believe that… their perception of the situation is far from the truth,” he said. “There’s really no facts that I’ve found as chairman of the School Committee that they [the administration] did anything wrong.”

“Pretty much anything Kevin Cullen writes I would take with a grain of salt. Hand-written notes, federal investigation, it’s all a bunch of hooey,” Boisselle said.

“There’s no federal investigation. Kevin Cullen, media and some local folks that want to stir the fire, any way they can. Whether it’s to say the kids shouldn’t go to Ireland because if one of them gets killed then we’ll know who to hold responsible. People make really irresponsible comments like that.”

http://www.masslive.com/bullying/index.ssf/2011/04/south_hadley_school_committee_chairman_ed_boiselle_speaks_ou.html

CAPAC — It’s a simple request. A Capac Middle School student is asking his peers to “Be Kind.”

As a part of an anti-bullying campaign developed by sixth-grader Russell Bellhorn, students and staff have started passing out “Be Kind” pins to encourage friendlier behavior.

After reciting “I promise to be kind and respect others,” students and teachers receive a pin made by Russell, 12, of Richmond and his mother.

Students have the choice to take the pledge or not — and although some have opted out, the campaign has given many others a chance to speak out.

Russell, who has an autism spectrum disorder, said dealing with bullies at school made him dislike being there. Earlier in the year, Russell collected more than 200 student signatures on a petition to “ban school” forever.

Although the idea of banning school got many students on board, there still were those who mocked him — as Russell’s petition was ripped in half by a classmate at recess.

Friends and school staff have helped Russell turn his negative emotions about school into a positive campaign to confront the bullies.

Principal Matt Drake said he helped Russell start the pin campaign two weeks ago. After passing out 100 pins to several classrooms, curiosity about the project grew — and Russell and his mom found themselves making more pins each night.

“Bullying is always something we’re dealing with,” Drake said. “It’s still the same as 10 years ago; we’re just addressing it differently.”

Many students look to Kaycee Miller, 12, of Capac as Russell’s biggest supporter in the campaign. Always with an encouraging word, Kaycee said she helps Russell if he’s being picked on.

“He’s a good kid,” Kaycee said matter-of-factly.

Russell said he hopes the pins promote a better atmosphere at the school and keep the bullies from becoming “crooks.”

“Be kind, because words can hurt,” Russell said.

Drake said he hopes to continue the pin campaign through the end of the year. He’s planning to make it easier for students to show their support by supplying wristbands — instead of pins — with the same message next week.

Victoria Congdon, 12, of Capac said she sympathized with Russell after she was bullied.

“He’s a good person,” Victoria said. “Why should he be getting bullied?”

http://www.thetimesherald.com/article/20110429/NEWS01/104290309