FLORENCE — An alleged case of hazing last month left four football players at Florence Carlton School suspended from extracurricular activities.
On Tuesday evening, members of the school board looked to a room full of parents, teachers, coaches, and even students for suggestions on how to end hazing and bullying. With over 50 people packed into the meeting room, the board heard plenty of concerns and ideas.
Building one-on-one connections with each student was a recommendation shared by many, but coaches and teachers expressed the difficulties of getting through to their kids -- especially when they’re responsible for so many each day.
Students in the room also spoke up, saying simply giving detentions is useless. They want to see harsher punishment for bullies.
Superintendent Bud Scully said the current plan is to bring in outside motivational speakers and implement anti-bullying programs. He also emphasized the severity of bullying.
“The big thing is to make sure we educate students and educate parents, so they can educate their students that this is not okay. It’s not okay to pick on someone,” Scully said. “You may think it’s funny but it’s not funny and you may not see the hurt, but the hurt is inside of that person.”
While each person at the meeting had a different opinion on how the school should move forward, everyone was in agreement that ending hazing and bullying is the number one priority for the Florence Carlton School District right now.
