It seems like every time I hear a bullying story, they get worse and worse. But 16-year-old Katie Uffen's story really upset me because her school knew about the problem she was having and didn't take any steps to protect her! Uffens was a good student and cheerleader at Westview High School in San Diego California, but dropped out after being tormented by other students who created a group called the KKK or "Kill Katie Klub" last February.
Although the school was aware of the KKK, they never put a stop to it. To make matters worse, police have now gotten involved, but Katie is still being insulted and harassed by her bullies through Facebook, Twitter, and even through threatening phone calls to her house. What is wrong with these kids!?
How a school can let students get away with something so cruel really boggles my mind. Katie herself wasn't sure whether to take it seriously, but once it started affecting her family, her mother Gisele decided to take steps to put a stop to it. Shockingly, the mom claims the school dismissed her complaint and was told by administrators that they found no need to take formal action after investigating, even though all the Facebook pages and Twitter messages existed!
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When things got worse, Gisele involved police (who are still investigating), and according to NBC San Diego, one of the students went to the extent of saying they wished someone would kill Katie. Finally cops managed to arrest one of the bullies, teen Nick Aguirre, after the many number of calls and messages he'd sent that her mom saved. Aguirre wasn't charged, but claims to be a victim for having been arrested on school grounds and says he is now teased because of it. Although he admits to bullying Katie, he says it started out as a joke not meant to harm anyone. I can't believe this kid!
I can't empathize with Aguirre. Parents should really be talking to their kids about not bullying other kids and the dangers of these horrible acts. Bullying is a cruel cycle–the only way to keep it from getting worse is to cut it off completely. It can even have worse consequences if not stopped. I hope police handle this case properly and charge the wrongdoers with appropriate punishments.
Image via ABC
