South Hadley, MA Teen Indictments in Prince Suicide Case – What of the school teachers and administrators? Opinion

The Town of South Hadley has been the focus of national attention this past week over indictments against six teenagers who were accused of bullying a fellow student into committing suicide. What is missing from the indictments are the teachers and administrators of the School who allowed the bullying to continue. It was noted in an article from the Springfield Republican that “No charges were brought against any school officials, although Northwest District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel said most of the student body, faculty members and administrators knew Prince was being bullied over a four-month period.”

In addition, the mother of Ms. Prince had sought help from school officials on several occasions with no results. The City and School Boards, like many public schools across the nation, have stepped up to the plate, by bringing in experts on bullying, implementing non-bullying rules at school, and pushing for anti-bullying legislation. This is akin to the United States going hat in hand to the UN Security Council asking for sanctions against Iran.

There have always been bullies, individuals who, for whatever psychological reason, feel the need to demean and physically abuse students who have less physical strength. In the past (40 years ago), victims were told to find ways to fight back, or, if the bully was overly aggressive, they ended up in what was then known as “reform school”. Teachers had the ability to haul the bully off the playground or out of class - of course, today, that teacher would be slapped with a lawsuit, and being sent to the principal’s office would involve the teacher not the student who was in the wrong. In other words, for the past few decades, the student body has been allowed to “run amok”, either due to apathy or a fear of lawsuits brought against the school systems by parents who could not conceive of their child being in the wrong, under any circumstances.

Case in point, The New York Daily News, reporting on the South Hadley incident, found one mother of a teen that was name in the indictment blaming the victim!” Go figure.

One has to ask, however, what would have taken place had these same students been enrolled in a private school (parochial or other) that has parents who are engaged and teachers and administrators who do not put up with any nonsense - period. The fact that order and discipline are part of the process in most private schools (not to say that bullying and name calling do not take place), allows teachers and administrators to deal directly with the student and parents – they employ the art of detention and suspend students for bad behavior – not unlike the public schools of bygone eras.

Had the school officials stepped in and stopped the incidents on school grounds, and after being begged by that parent for help, had called the students in question into the “wood shed” and offered them the option of either knocking it off or facing detention and suspension, would the situation have changed? Perhaps the young woman would still have been harassed outside of school – due to having a relationship with the Captain of the Football team, who must have immediately told his playmates about the conquest, and the matter snowballed. The fact that the young woman (14) had been called as slut, is included in the article from the Republican, is not germane.

Why, unfortunately, the society of public schools and the permissive attitude towards casual sex has made casual sex acceptable - therefore, can the girl be called a slut, when the school openly provides condoms for students encouraging risky behavior? What of the girls that were harassing the younger student are they not sluts as well? (The Football Captain who is being charged with statutory rape, had a relationship with one of the girls being charged with stalking – therefore, it breaks down to that young woman’s decision to have a “relationship”, ensuing jealousy, and the resulting harassment of the young woman, who was merely doing what “everyone else” was doing at that school and at schools across the country - having casual sex, i.e. being a slut) – A return to the attitudes of the 1960’s and 1970’s might be in order. If one were to have engaged in a casual sex in that era, there were called a slut, and that was a moniker that no-one wanted to bear. Of course there were still football captains and cheerleaders and the unfortunate incidents of girls being called “sluts”, but it did not result in stalking or abuses both inside and outside the school. The teachers and principals would have stepped in, admonishing those who harassed and most likely calling the individual (victim) a slut. Parents also respected the school's decisions, which would have led to more penalties for the "harassers" at home.

Now the tragedy has evolved to a multi-level play where there is no possible good outcome. Ms. Prince took her own life, yet no-one saw signs of depression and or stepped into get her counseling in order to prevent the situation – Apparently, not one student, or guidance councilor or teacher approached Ms. Snow to give her advice. Not one teacher or administrator took steps to stop the harassment taking place in school for a period of four months, and not one parent is ready to accept the fact that their child is guilty of going beyond the boundaries of reality – of course, it is most likely that the parents of the students charged only became aware of the fact once the indictments were handed down. Now, the school is off the hook, (so far), the young woman’s life was cut short as she received no psychological help to deal with the situation at hand. At least six students lives are in a shambles because the behavior was given a pass and virtually deemed appropriate by those same school teachers and administrators. The charge of statutory rape will carry a lifelong stamp of sexual offender, and the real possibility of prison instead of college awaits those students charged. The parents will be forced to empty their life savings, mortgage a home, put retirement aside and end up in penury in order to adequately defend their children. Criminal defense attorneys do not come cheap. However, the school officials and teachers will literally skate backed by the union label that will protect and defend, even if chargers are brought to bear – which is doubtful.

It boils down to a lack of personal responsibility on the part of everyone concerned - and it is about time that the focus on education in this nation include a course on behavior, with consequences for those students who do not follow school rules, regardless of threats of frivolous lawsuits by parents blinded by the glory of the offspring they have created. In that event, this case should be used as an example of what could happen to everyone involved. Perhaps the public sector might want to take a clue from some of the parochial schools and the modus they employ to encourage respect of the student, the student body and the teachers. One also wonders where the union is in all of this. Would it not be in the best interest of the union body to make sure that teachers receive the respect they are due? They are most likely finding the lawyers that make sure the teachers are left blameless in this incident.