“I have been threatened to get shot in the head by an AK-47 and buried in my backyard and many other things.”
These words came from the mouth of a 5-grader at Pollard Elementary School in Plaistow, New Hampshire this summer at a school board meeting after administrators failed to do anything about the extreme bullying facing the young girl at school.
To make matters worse, Delanie Marcotte had even been confronted by the mother of her bully while on a school field trip! In her statement, she reported:
“I have been asked by the mother of my bully during a school field trip why I tried to get her son in trouble.”
Sitting across from a group of adults at the Timberland Regional School Board Meeting, Delanie explained that she had been threatened for months. Other students had even invented songs with cruel lyrics to further taunt her.
Television stations across the country began reporting on Delanie’s plight after her father Todd took to Facebook to post a video of her statement at the school board meeting. But he didn’t do it for attention, despite getting over 25,000 views and hundreds of shares nearly overnight.
“Some of these incidents go tragically, and it’s sad,” Todd said. “People lose their kids over this stuff. It’s no joke, and until people step up and do something, it’s just going to continue.”
Speaking to a local newscaster, rocking on her feet with her arms clasped in front of her in a protective stance, Delanie said classmates “would call me names, threaten me, kick me, trip me.”
She and her parents said they tried going to the school with the information, but the bullying didn’t stop.
That’s when they decided to attend the school board meeting. The plan was for Todd Marcotte to report on his daughter’s bullying and fear of going to school, but as he stood, Delaney asked if she could read a statement to the board herself.
He confirmed with his daughter that she really wanted to do it, before allowing the brave little girl to tell her own story.
Prepared with a piece of paper, which she unfolded with some trepidation, she began “I am here to talk about a problem that means a lot to me: bullying. Bullying is a problem in our school,” she said, voice cracking. “I am a victim of it.”
A school board member said, “I’m very proud of you for coming.” With another chiming in “thank you” before giving her a round of applause for her bravery.
After her video went viral (it has now been viewed over 1 million times), thousands of comments poured in from around the world. Even another student who had been taunted at the school chimed in a few days later:
“We always had to worry about this… I have been bullied countless times through out elementary school (I am now a sophomore at Timberlane) and not much was done about it. Still, when myself or a friend is in need of help, we say to the student ‘you should go down to guidance’
The first response of most students around would say ‘They won’t do anything’ or ‘They won’t help’We need to change this. As a Timberlane student I feel that there should be changes about our bullying and guidance programs.”
The school district says it takes these concerns seriously and reviewed the matter. The family now feels confident that the superintendent and school board are going to take action so neither Delanie nor any other student has to feel this way again. When someone asked on FB whether the school had something about it, her mom simply replied “yes.”
Timberlane Regional School District Superintendent Earl F. Metzler told NBC10 Boston that Delanie’s concerns have the district’s “undivided attention.”
“We will continue to encourage all students to speak up when they see, hear or experience something that makes them uncomfortable. The same holds true for parents and community members.”
Speaking after her appearance, Delanie sounded much more upbeat: “I’m happy because I spoke for myself, in my own words, and I hope it does chance because I think it just needs to stop.”
“All my friends have come to me and said, ‘I saw your video. I’m so proud of you. Will you play with me at recess?'” she said.
Bully has always been a problem in schools, but with increasing awareness, we can all do our part to help eradicate this behavior, which takes many forms. In fact, when bystanders intervene, bullying stops within 10 seconds 57% of the time.
28% of U.S. students in grades 6–12 and 20% of U.S. students in grades 9–12 experience bullying, while approximately 30% of young people admit to bullying others in surveys. Roughly 70% of young people and school staff say they have witnessed bullying in their schools.
Research shows that persistent bullying can lead to or worsen the challenging feelings that children face, including isolation, rejection, exclusion, and despair. It can also lead to depression and anxiety and even can contribute to suicidal behavior.
You can read the full text of Delanie’s statement to the school board below and keep scrolling for the original news footage:
“I’m here to talk about a problem that means a lot to me – bullying. Bullying is a problem in our school. I am a victim of it. My parents have contacted the school about it, but it continues. It happened to me and my classmates. I have been asked by the mother of my bully during a school field trip why I tried to get her son in trouble. I have been threatened to get shot in the head by an AK-47 and buried in my back yard and many other things. I ask you what are you going to do to protect me and my classmates against bullying. I am here to stand up for every kid that gets bullied.”
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