Parents recount bullying and safety concerns; superintendent says statute shapes investigations

A parent at the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District listening session described prolonged bullying of an older child, including repeated physical assaults that led the family to pursue police action and remove the student from the district.

"He was being bullied... pinned down and punched repeatedly in the face," the parent said, recounting episodes that began in middle school and contributed to the family's decision to transfer the child to a different district.

Several parents and a fourth-grade student, Sunny, also described frequent hostile comments at recess and said adult intervention sometimes amounted to a brief admonition rather than sustained follow-up. Sunny told the superintendent that peers sometimes call other students "fat" or "ugly" on the playground and that when a teacher finds the student responsible the response is often only, "Stop it."

The superintendent acknowledged the concern and explained that Massachusetts law provides a statutory definition of bullying that triggers a particular investigatory process. "We have to conduct a bullying investigation [that] has to follow very strict guidelines because of the statute," he said, adding that incidents that do not meet the legal definition can nonetheless be harmful and that the district needs clearer communication when a formal bullying finding is not made.

The superintendent invited the family to follow up offline so the district could examine the specific case and better understand why families choose to leave. He also said the report from the fourth grader gives a targeted place for principals to focus when addressing recess supervision and adult responses.

The superintendent urged continued dialogue and said he will bring concerns to principals and the school committee as the district revisits strategies for student safety and communication about disciplinary findings.