School Tells Bullied Sixth Grader to Get a Breast Reduction
School Tells Bullied Sixth Grader to Get a Breast Reduction
In
every grade school class there is that one girl who develops way ahead
of the pack. She's the envy of some, the nightmare of others, and an
easy target for bullies. And for one sixth grade girl in Missouri, the bullying got really out of control when it started coming from her school administrators who told the 13-year-old to get a breast reduction!
Well, the school got one thing right -- something needs to be done about the boobs. And by that I mean the administrators who would dare tell a child that their body is the problem.
What's next? Telling the overweight girl that she needs to take up an eating disorder so people will leave her alone? Or maybe the schools will start requiring plastic surgery for the kid with the port wine stain?
Or, you know, we could just tell the bullies where to shove it.
Sigh. I wish I could re-write this story for this poor girl, that school administrators would have done their jobs and told the kids picking on her breasts to grow up.
But for some reason this "blame the victim" mentality seems to be entrenched in schools all across this country. It's not just the boobs in the Riverview Gardens School District. A mom recently related that her son was being called a gay slur by his classmates. The school's response? They told her to cut her son's hair.
This is just what the bullies want -- they want to make life harder for their victims, and when districts turn on the kids who are being wronged, they're playing right into their hands. This poor girl is simply growing. She can't help that. But in telling her to get a breast reduction, the school is trying to make science and nature the bad guy here instead of the kids who need to learn some compassion.
Is it any wonder kids are bullies? We still have adults who work with kids and who find it acceptable to treat kids as if their naturally developing bodies are a problem. Until the adults change, this is not going to stop!
Have you dealt with a "blame the victim" issue in your district? What happened?
Quoting Threes.Company:Where's the rest of the story about the breast reduction comment? I find it odd that an administrator would say such a thing. I've worked in 4 different schools. I have never met an administrator who would say such a thing. I am wondering what the context was of the comment, if it was made at all. This post leaves a lot of details out. Obviously I don't think the child should be told to get surgery to fix a bullying issue. No one does! Which is why I am wondering what really happened. Even the article (link) said the school district was "looking into it". So, we don't really know what happened yet.
I had boobs by 5th grade. By 7th grade I was a full C-cup!!
The boys stared and made snarky comments and the girls treated me like a freak of nature.
What was 'done' about it? Nothing. I was in 5th grade in 1978. I felt like a freak but I DEALT with it. By the time I was a young adult, I loved my boobs! :-)
Yes, the school staff are being ignorant and their comments are COMPLETELY uncalled for, but kids have to LEARN to roll with the punches or they'll NEVER be prepared for being an adult in the REAL world.
Quoting Threes.Company:
I agree with you 100%. I've taught in the same district for 15 years, there's not way an administrator would say something so ridiculous. To believe so would be extreme naivety.
Where's the rest of the story about the breast reduction comment? I find it odd that an administrator would say such a thing. I've worked in 4 different schools. I have never met an administrator who would say such a thing. I am wondering what the context was of the comment, if it was made at all. This post leaves a lot of details out. Obviously I don't think the child should be told to get surgery to fix a bullying issue. No one does! Which is why I am wondering what really happened. Even the article (link) said the school district was "looking into it". So, we don't really know what happened yet.
I don't have a good feeling that it will ever stop entirely. Humans and other animals have a natural tendency to detect the ones who are different and to drive away or kill them. In our male-oriented and breast-fixated society it's especially hard for girls and effeminate boys. So much for Jesus' preaching about loving your neighbor as yourself. Even the Christians don't do it.
First I would pull my child out of that school, any school official who sides with bullies is no different from the bully. Second I would raise all kinds of hell about it, for a school official to suggest body altering surgery instead of tackling the problem with bullying is a school official who has no problems blaming the victim. A child can not help her body chemistry, but an adult can handle his actions.
That is terrible. My oldest developed early and as a Sophomore is more developed than most other girls and has had a hard time dealing with it. This would have shattered her self esteem!
I think every person in charge at that district who was responsible for not punishing the bullies and for making that statement should be fired. This is yet another PERFECT example of why a lot of bullying still occurs. So much for a zero tolerance policy. Schools not only refuse to act on reported bullying, but often encourage and condone it.
Do you think its selfish
Does sex in the 1st 30 days kill a relationship?
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on Jan. 19, 2013 at 1:27 PM