Post by Wasp on Sept 26, 2009 21:05:58 GMT
A 15-year-old Moville Community College pupil who claims she's been spat at, punched and ganged up on in a catalogue of bullying incidents has been taken out of school and will be taken out of County Donegal by her parents who say she isn't safe here.
For Quigley's Point girl, Emma Lodge, school days are, she says, a nightmare.
According to Emma if she's not being called 'ugly, fat, rare or Prod' she's being mocked by some pupils because she's English.
In an unprecedented move, Emma has willingly decided to go public and talk about the alleged racial abuse she's been experiencing at the school, because of her English roots.
Now her mum, Donna, hopes it will help other victims of bullying in the area.
Emma revealed the racial taunts started when she joined the school more than a year ago.
She's given the Journal tapes of what appears to be people shouting abuse at her and a copy of a note she discovered in her pencil case, it read 'Queen loving prod f***er'.
She told the Journal: "It all started when one of the pupils came up to me and started swearing. I just didn't say anything, I just stood there in disbelief.
"Then she (one of the bullies) started going around spreading rumours and turning everyone against me.
"More people started turning against me then.
"They were calling me English, saying I was ugly and rare, stuff along those lines.
"They set up a Bebo (social networking online site) page (pretending to be me) and they said to another girl that I was calling her names and stuff.
"They all came up and confronted me, there was about 30 of them coming up to me and saying 'Why are you saying this? Go back to England because you are not wanted here'.
"I was scared and thought they were going to attack me when they were coming in to my face."
In other incidents Emma alleges one bully went to spit at her, but the saliva landed on her friend instead. And in the latest assault, Emma claims just last week one bully grabbed her school bag, from behind, and started viciously punching her in her sides and back.
Emma's distraught mum, Donna, wept as she said: "I've had to withdraw my daughter from school, because it just isn't safe there.
"There was probably about eight or ten girls bullying her constantly.
Last week one of the girls came up behind Emma and grabbed her from the back, using her school bag, she then punched her three or four times.
"Emma was very shaken up by the attack. I was also very disturbed about the whole thing."
Donna said she's had sleepless nights for the past year and a half worrying about her daughter, who she describes as the most "unaggressive, placid person".
She said: "I get really upset by it all because obviously it's my daughter."
She said the school bullies don't just torment Emma during school, they 'stalk' her when she's in Derry - with the few friends she does have - on Saturday's while shopping. Donna said she's had to ban her daughter from going in to the city, and to local discos, because the bullies are there also. But she doesn't want to keep her a prisoner in her own home either.
Donna added: "It seems to be the case, at that school, that if you are not from Greencastle or Moville then you are not from 'God's country'. Her friend at school is constantly being told she's a 'culchie' because she's not from the area.
"Emma came home to me not long after she started Moville Community College and asked me what a Protestant and a Catholic was.
I grew up in the roughest part of Belfast, I wanted to get away from all that. I have never brought Emma up with religion, I have never even discussed it with her.
"Yet she's been called names; she didn't even know what the difference between a Catholic and Protestant was."
Sadly, for Emma, this isn't the first time she's being bullied.
At her first school, in another part of Donegal, she was bullied by two girls. Emma became severely ill and was in and out of hospital suffering a spate of anxiety and panic attacks.
Donna said: "When it happened before, she was really unwell. At one stage her blood pressure dropped so low her heart was stopping.
"I spoke to the specialists and they said she was suffering from trauma and it was because what she was going through at the school.
"She'd even given herself an ulcer because of this.
"We thought that bullying was bad, but in comparison to this it was mild."
Donna thought Moville Community College would be a fresh start for Emma, but now she's petrified she'll become ill again because of the alleged abuse.
She said at one point Emma was insisting on going to school saying '" can't let this beat me mum, I have to keep going".
But unfortunately it has beaten Emma, and her family who say all they want is for their daughter to get an education.
While she said the bullying was very traumatic at Emma's previous school, she said it was nothing to do with religion or culture.
Emma's dad has now been forced to quit his job and uproot the family somewhere else for his daughter's safety. Donna added: "Emma will always come first."
She said the family no longer wants to stay in Donegal any more, despite building their dream home here.
She's hoping Emma's bravery in sharing her bullying experience will put a stop to it at the school.
When the Journal contacted the school, on the matter, principal, Anthony Doogan, said he could not comment on individual cases.
He said: "First of all you can appreciate that talking about individual cases without the permission from the parent would be inappropriate for me to do so.
"I will talk generally about how the school deals with bullying.
"In all cases where a pupil reports bullying we conduct an immediate investigation involving the relevant teachers and pupil and child's tutor and year coordinator and the school guidance counsellor.
"In all cases of bullying a substantial investigation takes place and all the evidence is dealt with.
"In the first instance we draw their attention to their behaviour and showing how they behaviour is damaging other pupils. We inform them if it doesn't stop we will evoke suspension and detention.
"We try and get the person to realise their behaviour is inappropriate and ask them to stop."
Mr Doogan said the school does not have a major problem with bullying.
He added: "We don't have a major problem with bullying, it is like this - every school has bullies within it.
"We can only act when we are furnished with the full information. As soon as parents or a friend or the child furnishes us with the information we deal with it and we are very successful in reducing the level of it."
For Quigley's Point girl, Emma Lodge, school days are, she says, a nightmare.
According to Emma if she's not being called 'ugly, fat, rare or Prod' she's being mocked by some pupils because she's English.
In an unprecedented move, Emma has willingly decided to go public and talk about the alleged racial abuse she's been experiencing at the school, because of her English roots.
Now her mum, Donna, hopes it will help other victims of bullying in the area.
Emma revealed the racial taunts started when she joined the school more than a year ago.
She's given the Journal tapes of what appears to be people shouting abuse at her and a copy of a note she discovered in her pencil case, it read 'Queen loving prod f***er'.
She told the Journal: "It all started when one of the pupils came up to me and started swearing. I just didn't say anything, I just stood there in disbelief.
"Then she (one of the bullies) started going around spreading rumours and turning everyone against me.
"More people started turning against me then.
"They were calling me English, saying I was ugly and rare, stuff along those lines.
"They set up a Bebo (social networking online site) page (pretending to be me) and they said to another girl that I was calling her names and stuff.
"They all came up and confronted me, there was about 30 of them coming up to me and saying 'Why are you saying this? Go back to England because you are not wanted here'.
"I was scared and thought they were going to attack me when they were coming in to my face."
In other incidents Emma alleges one bully went to spit at her, but the saliva landed on her friend instead. And in the latest assault, Emma claims just last week one bully grabbed her school bag, from behind, and started viciously punching her in her sides and back.
Emma's distraught mum, Donna, wept as she said: "I've had to withdraw my daughter from school, because it just isn't safe there.
"There was probably about eight or ten girls bullying her constantly.
Last week one of the girls came up behind Emma and grabbed her from the back, using her school bag, she then punched her three or four times.
"Emma was very shaken up by the attack. I was also very disturbed about the whole thing."
Donna said she's had sleepless nights for the past year and a half worrying about her daughter, who she describes as the most "unaggressive, placid person".
She said: "I get really upset by it all because obviously it's my daughter."
She said the school bullies don't just torment Emma during school, they 'stalk' her when she's in Derry - with the few friends she does have - on Saturday's while shopping. Donna said she's had to ban her daughter from going in to the city, and to local discos, because the bullies are there also. But she doesn't want to keep her a prisoner in her own home either.
Donna added: "It seems to be the case, at that school, that if you are not from Greencastle or Moville then you are not from 'God's country'. Her friend at school is constantly being told she's a 'culchie' because she's not from the area.
"Emma came home to me not long after she started Moville Community College and asked me what a Protestant and a Catholic was.
I grew up in the roughest part of Belfast, I wanted to get away from all that. I have never brought Emma up with religion, I have never even discussed it with her.
"Yet she's been called names; she didn't even know what the difference between a Catholic and Protestant was."
Sadly, for Emma, this isn't the first time she's being bullied.
At her first school, in another part of Donegal, she was bullied by two girls. Emma became severely ill and was in and out of hospital suffering a spate of anxiety and panic attacks.
Donna said: "When it happened before, she was really unwell. At one stage her blood pressure dropped so low her heart was stopping.
"I spoke to the specialists and they said she was suffering from trauma and it was because what she was going through at the school.
"She'd even given herself an ulcer because of this.
"We thought that bullying was bad, but in comparison to this it was mild."
Donna thought Moville Community College would be a fresh start for Emma, but now she's petrified she'll become ill again because of the alleged abuse.
She said at one point Emma was insisting on going to school saying '" can't let this beat me mum, I have to keep going".
But unfortunately it has beaten Emma, and her family who say all they want is for their daughter to get an education.
While she said the bullying was very traumatic at Emma's previous school, she said it was nothing to do with religion or culture.
Emma's dad has now been forced to quit his job and uproot the family somewhere else for his daughter's safety. Donna added: "Emma will always come first."
She said the family no longer wants to stay in Donegal any more, despite building their dream home here.
She's hoping Emma's bravery in sharing her bullying experience will put a stop to it at the school.
When the Journal contacted the school, on the matter, principal, Anthony Doogan, said he could not comment on individual cases.
He said: "First of all you can appreciate that talking about individual cases without the permission from the parent would be inappropriate for me to do so.
"I will talk generally about how the school deals with bullying.
"In all cases where a pupil reports bullying we conduct an immediate investigation involving the relevant teachers and pupil and child's tutor and year coordinator and the school guidance counsellor.
"In all cases of bullying a substantial investigation takes place and all the evidence is dealt with.
"In the first instance we draw their attention to their behaviour and showing how they behaviour is damaging other pupils. We inform them if it doesn't stop we will evoke suspension and detention.
"We try and get the person to realise their behaviour is inappropriate and ask them to stop."
Mr Doogan said the school does not have a major problem with bullying.
He added: "We don't have a major problem with bullying, it is like this - every school has bullies within it.
"We can only act when we are furnished with the full information. As soon as parents or a friend or the child furnishes us with the information we deal with it and we are very successful in reducing the level of it."