Parent alleges repeated bullying of 11-year-old at Easton Area Middle School, urges immediate district response

Mary Anne Speroni told the Eastern Area School District board on March 24 that her 11-year-old daughter has endured ongoing bullying at Easton Area Middle School and that district staff have not remedied the situation.

Speroni, who identified herself during public comment, said the harassment has escalated over eight months and includes students distributing her daughter's phone number, repeated derogatory messages, a voicemail with a death threat and physical assaults. "Tomorrow, I better get a phone call from the superintendent because my daughter was punched today in gym class with a closed fist," Speroni said, adding that the girl's nose hurt as she sat in the meeting.

She accused school staff of inaction and described multiple incidents on the school bus and in classrooms. "When you have a whole classroom of children shouting, 'it was better when you weren't here,' or 'boo' as my daughter walks into the classroom, it's clear that the consequences are not changing the behavior of the bullies," she said. Speroni said she has sought direct contact with the superintendent and had not received a personal response: "I've also tried to have a meeting with the superintendent, but she has yet to respond to an email or a phone call. Rather, she will send someone else to reach out to me."

Speroni said she previously raised the issue with the board in January and reported that police told her there was nothing wrong with students sharing her daughter's phone number or leaving threats; she said she still had not received promised video footage of bus incidents. She urged the board to act and said she would continue to press the issue publicly if necessary.

The board did not announce a formal response or action at the meeting. District staff previously described in the meeting how the special education plan will be posted for a 28-day public review, and district staff said they would collect feedback through a Google form; Speroni's comments were recorded during the non-agenda public-comment portion of the meeting.

The board's next regular meeting is expected in April, when staff said the special education plan will be brought back for approval after the review period. At this meeting, Speroni demanded a direct call from the superintendent and said she would pursue further public and media attention if the district did not act.