'She was afraid to go to school': Edinburg mom speaks out against bullying
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Bullying can be scary for both children and parents, and one Valley mom says her daughter went through it at her elementary school in Edinburg.
"A little girl marked her chair with a highlighter, and she sat on it," Mary Fernandez said. "It got stained. Kids were making fun of her— She told me a little boy in her class told her she doesn't belong in this world and that she should kill herself."
Fernandez says her daughter Bella, a fifth-grader at Lee Elementary School, was afraid to go to school.
She reached out to the school for help, and the principal launched an investigation and scheduled a meeting with the district's anti-bullying committee.
"We listen to both parents, and we deliberate based on the facts," Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Mario Salinas said. "Typically, if there is confirmation that bullying occurred, we take the bully, [and] move them off campus to a school closer to where their parents live."
Bella's story caught the attention of Bikers Against Bullying, a nonprofit organization dedicated to uplifting victims of bullying.
Their social media post garnered hundreds of shares and words of encouragement for the fifth grader.
Now, Fernandez says she wants students and parents to be educated about the dangers and impacts of bullying.
Edinburg CISD officials say the incident involving Bella will be handled fairly. Superintendent Salinas encourages parents concerned about their child's safety to reach out to the school principal.
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