By KATIE KLIMACEK
Staff Writer
It seems as though no matter what the evidence is, extent of harassment, or amount of pleading, kids who get bullied seem to never catch a break. Tormented over the smallest things, like from how much they weigh to the clothes they wear, kids are constantly being terrorized by fellow peers. But it’s not just kids that keep adding fuel to the fire.
Just this past week the story of nine-year-old Grayson Bruce was brought to nationwide attention. His story was broadcast on national news, not because of how his fellow classmates treated him or how he handled his situation, but instead was featured because of how his school reacted to his treatment.
The news headline read “9-year-old’s ‘My Little Pony’ Backpack Banned by School”. Bruce is an average kid with a like for the popular cartoon show, My Little Pony. Instead of using a boring paper bag for his lunches, Bruce liked to use his MLP backpack. This sparked instant chaos among his peers, and Bruce began to get pushed around, called names, and harassed for his backpack. When this was brought to the school’s attention, their response was despicable.
The School of Buncombe County told Bruce and his mom that he had to stop bringing the backpack to school; it had become a distraction for others and a “trigger for bullying”.
When this story made news, it sparked quite a firestorm of response. How could school officials say that to a child? I knew that kids could be mean and cold hearted, but I didn’t think that adults could essentially act the same way. By the school responding they way that they did, school officials became the bully in the situation. The school is punishing Bruce, instead of the culprits of the bullying.
Just the situation of this story is frustrating. It seems like no matter what the object of harassment is, no kid is safe from the torment of his or her fellow students. Nowadays status means everything, and the moment you bring someone else’s status down your own goes up.
Why does it matter that this kid has a backpack with a pony on it? The pony on it is promoting a show about friendship, caring, and all around happiness. I give Bruce so much credit for going to school with a backpack with something on it that he likes. If the kid next to him can bring in a backpack with video game characters that promote violence and sexual content, then he should have all the right in the world to bring in his bag; a bag that promotes no inappropriate language or mature content.
Since Bruce’s story was brought to attention, an outpour of support has reached the nine year old and his family. Several social media groups sparked to raise awareness for what the boy was going through.
It seems as though the squeaky wheel gets the oil; after the rise in support, Bruce’s school released a statement saying that the boy could bring his backpack to school.
I’m glade to know that Bruce won this time, both against the students and the school. It’s unfortunate that the situation went this way, but maybe it did that for a reason. Kids are not the only perpetrators when it comes to the battle against bullying, as clearly seen in this situation, and until both forces change the fight to end bullying will continue.
