School Bullying Council

As a parent of a student at Williams Intermediate School, Paul Fabrizio said he receives notifications about school events almost weekly.

The automated phone messages include topics ranging from teacher meetings to school pictures, and they come as early as 5:30 a.m., when snow forces a cancellation.

So Fabrizio, 40, said he was surprised when he watched the news Friday night and saw a video of what appeared to be three Williams School students beating up another student inside a school bathroom.

“We usually get notified over everything,” he said Saturday at the town’s Little League baseball complex, located behind the school. “How come we didn’t get a notification on that?”

As school officials and police investigate an alleged bullying incident brought to light by a student-filmed video, parents said the issue of bullying in all forms is more visible than ever before.

Those interviewed Saturday didn’t directly criticize the Bridgewater-Raynham school district’s handling of its current investigation. But they said awareness of the problem has never been more necessary.

“It all depends on the situation,” said Fabrizio, whose daughter attends the Williams School.

“That video did look bad,” he said, pausing. “But, hopefully, they do something to teach a lesson.”

In the 19-second video, obtained by The Enterprise, three students appear to restrain and attack another boy in a school bathroom. Superintendent of Schools Jacqueline Forbes said she has seen the video, which she said was filmed Tuesday at the close of the school day, and that police are working with school officials to investigate.

The three alleged attackers in the video have been suspended, police and a school official said Friday.

It’s forced school officials to defend the district’s anti-bullying plan, which the attorney of the boy who filmed the video criticized Friday.

Mary Walsh, 41, has three children in the Bridgewater-Raynham school system, though none attend the Williams School. She said she believes school officials are trying to “put a stop” to bullying, but said an immediate notice to parents about any investigation into bullying would be welcomed.

She said it would give parents an immediate opportunity to talk with their children about bullying, which she did upon learning of the current investigation.

“I have a younger one in third grade and he immediately said, ‘I’d go get help,’” she said.

Ed Parolin, 38, said his son, who is in third grade, told him he doesn’t see a lot of bullying. Parolin added that may be because “it’s more of a teenage thing,” but he believes cyber-bullying, through the Internet and social media sites like Facebook, is more prevalent. “It puts it out there for everyone to see, and it grows,” he said.

Said Fabrizio: “Now, it’s texting, the Internet, you see them at school, you live in a small town and everybody knows everybody. It’s harder to get away from (bullying).”

It’s a situation West Bridgewater’s Alan Tate said he’s directly dealt with. A licensed professional investigator, Tate said he was recently hired by a family in central Massachusetts whose daughter was being bullied by other students who created a fake Facebook page about her.

One of the results of the case, he said, was everyone involved became more aware of the new bullying statute created by state officials.

“It turned out for that school to be a learning experience to see how the system worked,” Tate said. “And it worked well. In my opinion, it just took a little bit of time where it gears up to where they’re quicker.

“Being the first time when you have a first case of cyber-bullying or straight bullying issues in a school, you have to cut (people) slack all the way around.”

Parolin said he believes officials will deal with this particular case appropriately.

“If there is a problem, this town will take care of it,” he said. “I don’t think they put up with that stuff.”

A school official said Friday that local educators were “appalled” to learn that three male students were caught on video appearing to assault another boy in the bathroom of a middle school.

But School Committee members also defended the district’s anti-bullying programs while saying that bullying is not an easy problem to fix.

Bullying is an “ongoing battle,” said School Committee member Patricia Riley, one “we haven’t won, that’s for sure.”

“I wish there was a guarantee that you could do X, Y and Z, and nothing like this would ever happen,” Riley said. “If there is a formula for this, I wish I knew what it was. I think we’re appalled by the situation.”

In the video, obtained by The Enterprise, three students appear to restrain and attack another boy in a school bathroom at the Williams Intermediate School.

Superintendent of Schools Jacqueline Forbes said she has seen the video and police are working with school officials to investigate.

Bridgewater police and a school official both said Friday that the three alleged attackers in the video were suspended from school but they did not have further details.

Asked about possible criminal charges, Bridgewater police Lt. Tom Schlatz said on Friday, “No (criminal) charges have been filed as of yet. When the investigation is complete, if anybody deems it necessary, it will be done then.”

A student filmed the video about 2 p.m. Tuesday using his cell phone while concealing himself behind a urinal wall, said his mother, who provided the video and whose name The Enterprise is not publishing to protect her son’s identity.

The alleged victim is a special needs student, as is her son, the mother said.

In the video, it appears that one boy holds the alleged victim against the wall while another punches him in the head. A third boy walks up to the alleged victim and appears to punch him in the stomach area. The alleged victim then falls to the floor.

Forbes on Friday declined to answer any questions about the incident, the video or the suspensions and issued only the following statement:

“The Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District is investigating a fight that took place at the Williams Intermediate School on Tuesday, May 17, at the close of the school day. The district is conducting an investigation into the allegation that this incident may be the result of bullying.

“The police have been notified and are working with us. The B-R Regional School District takes every allegation of bullying seriously. We investigate and will take appropriate disciplinary action in accordance with policy and statute.”

State law required all school districts to submit a bullying prevention and intervention plan before Dec. 31 to be reviewed by the Department of Education.

Bridgewater-Raynham met all deadlines and conditions, said Teri Williams Valentine, special projects coordinator for the Department of Education.

Bridgewater-Raynham’s 16-page plan mirrors most steps of the model produced by the state last summer, at times word for word.

But Quincy attorney Tina Smeaton, who is representing the mother and her son who recorded the incident, said while the district’s anti-bullying plan calls for zero tolerance, it hasn’t been followed.

She said the boy who filmed the alleged attack has been bullied by the same group of students for the last 18 months. Despite repeated notifications by his mother to school officials, Smeaton said, the bullying has continued and any actions by the school weren’t enough for the bullies to change their behavior.

“She didn’t feel her voice was being heard,” Smeaton said of the mother.

Smeaton said a meeting has been scheduled for May 31 between her clients, herself, Forbes and the school district’s attorney.

“The lines of communication are now open, which is great,” she said. “I’m hoping some changes come out of it.”

Pacy, the School Committee chairman, said the district has “clear policies” about bullying, which include suspension, but he added that the ages of those involved and specifics of the situation dictate what disciplinary action is taken.

Pacy said the behavior of the students in the video was “not acceptable” but they may have gotten caught up in the situation.

“I don’t condemn the students involved,” said Pacy, who as of Friday afternoon said he hadn’t seen the video. “I think it’s mostly their unawareness, reacting to the situation. But it’s not acceptable. Our parents, teachers and administrators have to make that very plain that it’s not acceptable.”

The Williams School, which includes grades 4 through 6, was the site of another bullying incident a year ago. Three students were suspended and ordered to write a report on Down syndrome after bullying a student on a school bus.

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