LEXINGTON — Sara Bates stood at the corner of Main Street and Frederick Street with a neon poster board and a colorful lei around her neck.
End-of-the-school day traffic was in full force in the heart of downtown Lexington. Drivers, semi trucks and even motorcycles honked their horns in support as they passed.
Bates was joined by family, friends and even strangers, many dressed in highlighter hues designed to catch the eye.
They held homemade signs with anti-bullying messages: Be a buddy, not a bully. Kindness takes courage. Enough is enough.
Bates said she organized Friday’s demonstration after her son, a student at Lexington Junior High School, experienced multiple incidents of bullying by his peers.
Richland Source left messages for Lexington school officials, but those messages were not returned.
“I didn’t feel like enough was being done. I didn’t get any answers, nobody (from the school) was reaching out to me,” she said.
Bates later shared her son’s on Facebook. Multiple area residents replied that their children have also faced bullying at school.
“I think it’s time for us to stand up, speak out, let our voices be heard and let other people know they’re not alone,” she said.
‘It’s not just about my son anymore’
Deena Hamilton, founder of the non-profit Love on a Mission, also came to show her support.
Love on a Mission provides support and programming for LGBTQ+ youth. Hamilton said she’s seen several students switch schools or start homeschooling due to bullying.
“I know bullying has been around for a long time, but we have to do something,” Hamilton said.
“These kids are in crisis. As parents and as community members, we need to take a stand against this.”
Bates said her son was bullied for a couple of months before she pulled him out of Lexington Junior High. He’s now completing school work online.
It started when one kid held his arms while another pulled his pants down, Bates said. She said she tried to report the incident to the police, who referred her to the district’s school resource officer.
A month later, Bates said her son was called “gay,” slapped in the face and had his chair pulled out from under him. After that, a student allegedly took his hat, attempted to flush it down the toilet, then threw the soggy hat back at him.
“I called the school about that issue, they didn’t get back to me,” Bates said. “I followed up the next day, and they just said they’d look into it. I didn’t really feel like they were taking it seriously.”
Richland Source obtained a report from the Lexington Police Department via public records request.
That report detailed an incident where students attempted to pull a young man’s pants down at school and that the incident was caught on the school’s security footage. Student names were redacted from the report, which listed Bates as the person to file the complaint.
The report, dated March 11, also states that junior high dean of students John Watkins told police a student had been disciplined.
School resource officer Christopher Glennon wrote in his report that “it was determined” his involvement wasn’t necessary “due to the nature of the incident.”
The report also states that Glennon’s report and footage of the incident were requested by the juvenile prosecutor’s office and that there were no charges at the time.
‘I think they need to define what zero tolerance of bullying is’
Bates said her son struggled with anxiety about going to school and that he has since been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder as a result of the bullying.
“I didn’t want to be out here after a funeral. I want to be proactive,” Bates said.
“A lot of people are like, ‘Kids will be kids,’ but we shouldn’t be worried sending our kids to school and wondering if they’re being treated well or not,” she added.
Bates said she appreciated the support from other demonstrators, but that it also reinforces how prevalent an issue bullying has become.
“It’s not just about (my son) anymore,” she said. “I think kids might now feel like they have a voice and that someone will listen.”
Bates said she hopes the school district will be more strict in its enforcement of bullying policy in the future.
“I think that they need to define what zero tolerance for bullying is,” she said. “I don’t think there’s enough transparency, enough consistency across discipline.”
Hamilton, who is running for a seat on the Mansfield City School board in November, agreed.
“Supposedly, they have no tolerance of bullying, but we’re not seeing that,” Hamilton said.
“It’s still happening, so they need to get a little more strict on it. I think teachers turn a blind eye. Some bullying is from teachers.”
She said it’s important for parents and society at large to set a positive example for students.
“We get on social media and it’s easy to be keyboard warriors and be bullies behind a keyboard. Social media doesn’t make it easy for kids or adults sometimes,” Hamilton said.
“We need more kindness, more love, more understanding of differences. We’re not all the same and that’s okay.”
