Parents of three students at Holy Spirit Catholic Elementary School are feeling frustrated and discouraged at what they're saying is a lack of action by the school when it comes to the bullying of their children.
Judy Escobar and Cathy Shippet both say their daughters have been bullied by another student since the 2022-2023 school year with little action taken to correct the issue.
Punching, kicking, hair pulling and most concerning, threats of rape and murder, are among the complaints.
"Last spring there was a note written with steps to kill my daughter," Escobar said.
"The school said they talked to the child and they didn't really mean it. I feel like the school brushed it under the table."
Escobar said she has spoken to both the principal and the superintendent and despite hearing the right things, has yet to see any action as the bullying continues.
When the students began complaining about the behaviour, still nothing was done, according to Escobar.
"They were told by a teacher they needed to stop complaining about this other child and it's being handled," she said.
"It wasn't being handled."
Shippet learned about the bullying back in June and was assured the girls would be put into separate classrooms this academic year but after the first week of school, her daughter came home and told her the other student came after them again. Shippet was then told the they would receive one-on-one supervision.
Her tipping point came on Nov. 1 when she said it took the school six hours to contact her about her daughter being repeatedly punched and kicked. She's gone to the extent of filing a police report, something Escobar also said she would be doing.
"I'm incredibly frustrated," she said.
"I’ve tried to be as proactive as possible. I’ve talked to the school, been open to their plan and expressed concern for her safety. My daughter shouldn't have to go to school and be worried about her safety, she should be having fun with her friends and learning."
Shippet said she's so fed up that she hasn't ruled out seeking legal council if the bullying continues.
When contacted by CambridgeToday for comment on the situation and what was being done to deal with it, Waterloo Catholic District School Board senior manager of communications Lema Salaymeh forwarded the board's policy on Bullying Prevention and Intervention for reference.
Among the policy are a number of forms, including a school safety bullying report form that states "the Waterloo Catholic District School Board takes the issues of bullying and school safety very seriously" and in most circumstances those filling out the form can expect to contacted within 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays.
The board didn't provide potential consequences for acts of bullying.
Shippet said the lack of response is surprising given she's generally had very positive experiences with WCDSB, its teachers and staff.
"There needs to be more consistency," she said.
"I have a hard time getting a response. I think there needs to be better policies in place to follow. There's no clear direction on who's responsible for following them."
