School and community fight bullying

For Maria Paguay, bullying has become the ultimate problem in her children’s lives.
Paguay, who is Ecuadorian, has three kids who attend Intermediate School 61 in Corona. She said her 14-year-old son, who is in the eighth grade and has a speech impediment, constantly gets teased by his classmates because he doesn’t wear name brand clothes or sneakers.
“My son feels very bad and angry,” said Paguay in Spanish. “His behavior has changed and there are days when he doesn’t want to go to school. “
Paguay said administrators at the school used to call her every day to pick up her son because he wanted to go home. In the past month, she said the problem has escalated. Her son was recently hand cuffed and taken to Elmhurst Hospital after he hit another kid who was teasing him. Her worst fear is that her son will be attacked by members of a gang.
“I am always crying,” Paguay said. “I want help for my sons.”
Now, the school and Queens Congregations United for Action (QCUA), a faith-based community organization in Northern Queens, have launched a school-community task force to combat bullying and help kids like Paguay’s son. The task force is comprised of parents, school staff, the business community, the New York Police Department and Councilmember Daniel Dromm, who represents the area.
According to the most recent school environment survey in I.S. 61, which is predominately Hispanic, over 80 percent of the students surveyed reported that they were threatened or bullied at least once during school. The Teacher and Parent environment surveys echo these sentiments, according to school officials.
“I don’t want the school or the community to fail because of this problem,” said Joseph Lisa, principal of I.S. 61, during a community forum at the school on Wednesday, December 15. “It has to end now.”
The task force will support efforts already begun at I.S. 61, including increased vigilance by school staff at entrance and dismissal times, anti-bullying programs, and the recent installation of new security cameras throughout the building. They also plan to implement a peer mediation program starting in January.
“Please take this problem very seriously,” Paguay, a member of the QCUA Parents in Action Committee, urged during the forum. “Don’t wait until the same thing happens to your son or daughter.”
The task force also implemented a mailbox complaint system, which allows students who are being bullied to simply write a note and leave it outside their guidance counselor’s office. The principal said within the first week, four students left notes.
Dromm, who was a teacher in Sunnyside for 25 years, recalled when he himself used to be teased in school because he was gay. Dromm obtained a $7,000 grant for the school to implement some of the anti-bullying measures.
“I am very happy that Mr. Lisa is doing something positive in the school,” Dromm said. “Not every school does this.”