Boy Who Said He Was Bullied Is Sentenced

[demdave]

ATLANTA - A middle-school student who said he stabbed a classmate with a pencil to defend himself from bullying was sentenced to probation by a judge who told him, "It's unfortunate you have to go through that."



Judge Leslie Gresham said at sentencing Wednesday that she did not consider jail time for Daryl Gray because he was 12 when he attacked the other boy in the face in March, permanently scarring him.


The judge had declined at trial to hear the boy's argument of self-defense. He was convicted of aggravated battery April 9 and could have faced up to five years in jail.


Gray, now 13, called his treatment unfair


---snip---

Daryl's mother, Jeanette Gray, said Thursday she repeatedly asked school officials to intervene but their only response was to change her son's classes. She said she has asked that he be transferred to another school, but she doesn't yet know if that will happen.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&u=/ap/20040506/ap_on_re_us/bullying_victim_1&printer=1

[TroglodyteScholar]

1. I can definitely relate to the problem of bullying...

...and if this kid was as constantly harrassed as it seems, good for him. Sometimes you just gotta stand up. Looks like the school may have some problems -- their inaction seems "unfair." But I don't think probation is too harsh. If he's actually a good kid, it shouldn't be a problem at all.

It's certainly unfortunate that anyone has to go through something like this in the first place..

[Coventina]

2. Agreed, bullying is endemic in our schools

and no one wants to address it.

I was hoping that after Columbine that the problem would be taken seriously, but it quickly dropped off the radar screen.
*sigh*

No one wants to face the fact that it's the "golden" boys and girls who are the guilty ones. It's always so much easier to blame the scruffy, misfit victim.