LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A teacher who spent 25 years at the Clark County School District before retiring at the start of the year claims the district isn’t doing enough to address bullying.
“It only takes a few to kind of take over the entire class,” Kelly Edgar told 8 News Now on Friday regarding students who display aggressive behavior.
On Thursday, 8 News Now reported on a 12-year-old girl whose parents said she died by suicide after months of bullying.
Parents say repeated bullying at Las Vegas-area school led to daughter’s suicide
Joshua Parker and Alice Martinez held a funeral for their 12-year-old daughter Flora Martinez on Thursday, something no parents wants to do.
Edgar said kids have become more cruel over the years.
“The bullies have more rights than the bullied, period, in this district,” Edgar said.
Edgar last taught at Tarkanian Middle School where she spent 18 years, and said she’s seen a shift in student behavior that began right before the pandemic.
“That’s a critical age, [in] middle school you care about what people think about you,” Edgar said.
Flora Martinez was a sixth grader at Keller Middle School. Her parents said the bullying began immediately after she enrolled in August.
They requested a transfer out of Keller, but in October of last year, administrators denied it.
“Look how hard it was on my daughter. My daughter was literally bullied to death,” Alice Martinez said.
Flora was found dead on May 7.
Her parents say they and Flora would report the bullying to Keller’s assistant principal, but it failed to stop.
Edgar said this unfortunately can worsen the problem.
“So sometimes these kids, they reported the bullying. The bully came back to class and now they’re really upset with you. And now, what are they going to do? They’re not going to do it in front of the teacher, but they’re going to find other ways,” Edgar said.
CCSD published a student survey that shows at nearly all of the district’s middle schools, close to half the student body said bullying was a problem.
Out of the 61 middle schools, these 8 had the highest percentage of children who answered in the survey, “Bullying is a problem at this school.”
Bailey Middle School – 65%
Cannon JHS – 60%
Escobedo Middle School – 62%
Harney Middle School – 65%
Johnston Middle School – 65%
Silvestri JHS – 64%
Orr Middle School – 57%
Von Tobel – 59%
“I’m not allowed to do anything as a teacher. I just have to report it,” Edgar said.
For the last three days, 8 News Now has reached out to CCSD seeking comment on what exactly happened at Keller Middle School with Flora Martinez, and to hopefully discuss how is the district addressing bullying. But no answer as of yet.
As a reminder, if you or someone you love is struggling, please call the suicide and crisis lifeline. That number is 988.
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