Bullied third grader Anna Cymbaluk is a brave little girl who wants to make a difference in the lives of victims just like her.
In a recent video posted to Facebook by Anna’s mother, the eight-year-old tearfully breaks down as she and her seven-year-old brother share their experience with school bullies.
Anna’s little brother shares most of the details because she was too distraught. Included in the bullying were comments such as “you’re gonna die by suicide” and “they called me a stupid son of a b****.”
One of the bullies also referred to Anna as a “lesbian,” her little brother claimed.
In spite of telling the principal “five times,” said Anna, “nothing” has been done to stop the bullying.
Now the bullied third grader wants to start a nationwide campaign to help victims of bullies and to show that “you’re not alone.”
Called “Orange You Glad You’re Not A Bully,” the campaign uses the color orange because that’s Anna’s favorite color, her mother said. Furthermore, it’s centered on victims of bullying because Anna “didn’t want the focus to be on the bully,” her mom said.
In further comments to the New York Daily News , Sara Cymbaluk said her daughter has been “a goer and a doer, a mover and a shaker,” since “the day she was born.”
School Reaction
Mark Nohne, superintendent of the school district that oversees Magelssen Elementary School in Fosston, Minnesota, where the bullying took place, said the incidents were just called to his attention and admits that the school “dropped the ball” in dealing with the multiple complaints.
However, he did feel that proper action could have been taken without the need for the Cymbaluks’ Facebook video, which had 10,000 shares in less than 24 hours. See it here, NSFW.
In spite of the outreach, the Cymbaluks said they met with school administrators last week and that the meetings “did not go well,” though it was unclear why that was.
With news like this and the recent ignorance from a Nebraska school, which warned bullied children “not to tell on bullies” because it encouraged further retaliation, it seems as if public schools have lost their marbles when it comes to responding to these types of issues.
While there may be a temptation to say that bullying is a part of life and we should just “deal with it,” there have been far too many fatalities to sit by and do nothing.
Has your child faced a similar situation as the bullied third grader? How have you handled it, and what should be done when these allegations are found to be valid?