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THE EFFORT TO
TRANSFORM
ROCKFORD
CONTINUES AS
EDUCATION LEADERS
MEET WITH RESIDENTS
TO TALK IMPROVING
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
BUT ONE LOCAL
PARENT USED THE
FORUM TO BRING
ATTENTION TO AN
ALARMING ISSUE.
REPORTER PHILLIP
REED WAS THERE...
SABRINA ONE
ROCKFORD PARENT I
SPOKE TO SAYS HIS
SEVEN YEAR OLD
CHILD GETS ABUSED
AT SCHOOL
FREQUENTLY.
AND SINCE HE CAN'T
BE THERE TO PROTECT
HIM, HE'S ASKING
SCHOOL OFFICIALS TO
STEP IN BEFORE HIS
SON GETS SERIOUSLY
HURT.
THIS FORUM IS BEING
HELD TO BRAINSTORM
-- ABOUT IMPROVING
ROCKFORD SCHOOLS.
BUT PARENT STEVEN
BOWLING USED IT TO
VENT HIS
FRUSTRATION ABOUT
HIS SON T.J BEING
BULLIED.
THESE ARE PICTURES
OF BRUISES TAKEN BY
T.J'S PARENTS FROM A
BEATING THEY SAY
THE SEVEN YEAR OLD
RECEIVED AT SCHOOL.
"he's been hit, kicked, beat
up in the classroom,
outside..."
T.J IS A SECOND
GRADER AT
WHITEHEAD
ELEMENTARY.
HIS FATHER SAYS THE
BULLYING HAS GOTTEN
SO BAD THAT IT'S
BECOME A RISK TO HIS
HEALTH.
"there was an incident last
week of lead being put in
his drinking water, and
another student actually
told him about it before he
drank it thank God..."
BOWLING HAS BEEN
REACHING OUT TO THE
ROCKFORD PUBLIC
SCHOOLS TO TAKE
ACTION -- SAYING NO
STUDENT CAN LEARN
IN AN UNSAFE
ENVIRONMENT.
"it breaks my heart,
because I wish I could do
something about it but
obviously i can't.so i look
at the teachers, the
principals maybe the
superintendent."
"anytime a student has a
concern we encourage
them to go to their teacher
and work with the principal
to make sure that any
particular issues that
come up are addressed
..."
COMMUNITY LEADERS
SPOKE ON THE
IMPORTANCE OF
EDUCATION IN THE
FOREST CITY TO HELP
TRANSFORM
ROCKFORD.....,
SUPERINTENDENT
JARRETT SAYS
TURNING AROUND
ROCKFORD SCHOOLS
WILL BE A COMMUNITY
EFFORT.
BUT FOR THIS PARENT
- IT STARTS WITH
HAVING A SAFE
CLASSROOM.
"transform rockford is
great, but if you don't take
care of the bullying
situation and don't have
kids feeling safe inside
their classroom, they're
not going to concentrate
as much on their school
work. ..."
BOWLING TELLS ME
SOME OF T-J'S
CLASSMATES ALSO
GET BULLIED... BUT
THEY'RE SCARED TO
SPEAK UP FEARING
THEY WILL GET
HARASSED