Greendale School District creating anti-bullying task force
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Keller Russell reports Video by tmj4.com
video
GREENDALE- The Greendale School District is putting a plan in place to crack down on bullying after one student says the abuse drove him to make a bomb threat.
The school district is creating a community task force to see what changes it can make to push bullying out the door of its schools.
17-year-old Nicholas Olson faces jail time and a misdemeanor charge for allegedly scribbling a bomb threat on a bathroom wall inside Greendale High School. Olson told investigators years of bullying got the best of him.
Students, parents and community members will make up the anti-bullying group.
Lisa Kussler thinks it's a smart move. As a teacher she sees first-hand how destructive bullying can be.
"I think the more visible it is, the more talk about it, the more it will call attention to it and it will be less accepted as a traditional adolescent right," says Kussler.
Delen Martinez's son is a junior at Greendale High School, and she's happy to hear about the district's initiative.
"I always tell my children if they think someone is bullying them they need to of course tell the school and tell us at home," explains Martinez.
And as a parent, she makes sure there are no gray lines for her kids when it comes to bullying.
"You know it's always sad when you hear about a story and it was too late."
No one from the district would speak on camera.
In a letter to parents, the district said the recent incident involving Olson provides a "clear opportunity to take a closer look at school climate and the student experience."
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