The word among parents and one board member is the kid is going to be expelled.

The kid has been bullied since fifth grade. No excuse...just sayin'. He was voted onto homecoming court as a joke. Not very funny. Kid needs help, not jail.

John, I completely agree with you. The kid was constantly picked on. From the day he started high school, everyone picked on the poor kid. EVERYONE. He was jokingly voted onto Prom Court last year and Homecoming Court this year. I can only imagine the embarrassment he felt. There is absolutely no reason a kid should have to go through high school feeling the way that kid did. Although he was severely bullied throughout high school, his actions are definitely not justified. Hopefully judges or whomever deals with this will consider his high school experience with the students that attend Greendale High and get him some help rather than jail time. I personally knew the kid when I went there. He's just like any other kid except he's bullied a lot more. Although he laughs along, you can tell he isn't comfortable with people constantly, and I mean CONSTANTLY, picking on him. And the thing is is that Greendale always has done a poor job with bullying. Teachers don't take it seriously, and when kids snap, they blame the kids, not the bullies and a perfect example actually happened in band this year. A kid that was emotionally unstable was bullied, he snapped took a swing, hit no one, and was suspended. The bullies were let go.This needs to stop.Yes that kid should've been suspended for taking the swing, yes the kid should be arrested and fined for the threat, but something needs to be done about bullying. A kid can only take so much before he/she snaps. He needs help, not jail time.

Carl, if the board doesn't consider his circumstances, you are correct. He will be expelled just like the last girl that penned a bomb threat.

I hope that this kid will get the needed help ( pshycological and emotional support ) - other than sending him to jail/expulsion. I hope that the school will be more diligent on watching over the kids that are bullies and being bullied and that consequences should be given to both sides. As a parent who had the experience of my kid being bullied in Middle School - exchanging info between teachers and parents helped me out figuring out why the change of my kid's attitude and good thing it was noticed sooner. My kid did show that she could not be bullied again to the other kid which almost sent her to the office but the bully did realize that my kid cannot be picked on anymore again. But again -- that kid should have been given the same consequence. As much as we tell our kids to walk away and try to use the strategies that we teach including the school ( C.A.R.E. and P.R.I.D.E. and I am not sure what the HS preach ) - the kids can only take so much.
SO I pray that the kid involved and his family be helped HOLISTICALLY and not just these LEGAL stuff and TELL ALL THE KIDS THAT BULLIED HIM SINCE DAY 1 THAT AT ONE POINT THEY HAVE A PART OF THIS AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN WITH HIM FACING THE JUDGE. I hope that parents discuss this with their kids especially the bullies. Didn't they say training comes from home too so we cannot depend entirely to the school to babysit our kids although we hope that they will be more attentive to what's going on in there so parents are informed.

Why is that Greendale cannot control the bullying? It's absolutly terrible in the 8th grade... step up to the plate Greendale, fix it.... obviously from the responses here, you know there is a problem.

Oh i would like to add, MIDDLE SCHOOL, enter the lunch room and see what's going on there, 8th grade girls getting forced to sit by themselves because of ONE girl who is the leader of the pack (not hard to figure out), and I don't even work there everyday... watch this for a change, problem is starting at YOUR SCHOOL and going into the HS.

Nicole, I agree. It starts in the middle school and carries into high school. But I think the High School is where kids develop socially. It is a lot easier to be integrated socially in high school because of the programs Greendale has to offer. Middle school gets you an idea of who your friends are, but if you don't have any friends in the middle school, you are almost guaranteed friends in high school as long as you involve yourself in your interest. There are many clubs to get you involved. I think the big problem is the administration at the high school not punishing bullies. They only punish the person that reacts to the bullying. This is what causes more bullying, and even more reactions from the victims. I've seen it. Kids bully someone, the victim gets suspended or punished, and the bully laughs at them when they get back from suspension. It is RIDICULOUS. I have contacted HS administration multiple times about bullying, their reaction is: Well, for now deal with it, next time it happens, let us know. The problem with that is that that's what they say EVERY TIME you contact them. Even if its to tell them the person is doing the bullying again. It's ridiculous and it needs to be fixed.

Shame on the bullies, they should be expelled. I can't believe the teachers and or the parents didn't see this happening and put a stop to it.

I hope the Patch keeps us updated on what happens with this case. It will be a complete shame if this kid's entire life is ruined because of this.

We're definitely following this one closely. The case has been referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office, and is still under review there. Because the student is 17 and the possible charge is a felony, we expect this to be an adult court case. As soon as we've got something concrete from the DA, we'll post it. We're also paying attention to what everyone is saying about the bullying. If people want to give me more info on that privately, please send me an email at janine(dot)anderson(at)patch(dot)com. I'm filling in while Viviana is on vacation.

If psychological examination brings forth the knowledge that this acting out was an emotional "call for help" due to bullying and the school district and police department doesn't drop the charges, perhaps the parents of the bullied student should consider legal action. The school district, serving as en loco parentis during school hours, is responsible for the welfare of each student, and failure to do so, in the form of tolerating a hostile environment, could potentially be considered negligent and possibly engaging in discrimination, based on specific circumstance (a legal review is required to determine the actual circumstances and statutes potentially involved). Response to the prank was arguably overreactive, additionally costing families and taxpayers money and inconvenience. Understanding that a new superintendent has been hired, a village review of administrative practices in the schools should be thoroughly reviewed. Bullying should not be tolerated in any form. I also assume that the new superintendent is serving a probationary period. If this individual does not make bullying no-tolerance an immediate priority perhaps the search for that position should continue.

It is infuriating to think that adults would put up with this behavior, parents, teachers, and administrators.

This really saddens me. I'm the parent of 2 children that went through the Greendale school system. They were both involved in a lot of activities at the High School level so never really experienced these problems. However, at the Middle School my daughter did have an issue. But, was strong enough to make an appt with the principal (then Mr. Herman) and insist that the other girls were present and was able to get things resolved. Wake up GREENDALE before the excellent reputation our schools have is ruined!!!

Do I believe this young man needs to realize what he did was wrong? Yes! However, I think the problem here is not just the "bathroom threat" , but a much bigger issue that GREENDALE needs to address!

Everything on this post sounds correct! My son came home with all the details of how this kid was bullied, everyone knew about it. Seems like it went on for years.
Why did'nt the guidence counselors know about this issue or did they and choose to ignore it. Greendale has a bulling problem and I feel sorry for this boy and his parents. Now they will boot him out of the crummy high school, who will that punish?
his parents and the boy! Nice work again Greendale School District!

I wanted to add, when I heard who was arrested, I thought someone was playing a bullying prank on him and someone got the kid in trouble through false accusation. That's how bad the bullying is against this poor kid. Greendale needs to wake up.

Isn't there a counselor for each school? What do they do? Do they let the bullied and the bully with their parents do face to face confrontations/discussion about the issue - since parents of the bullies need to be involved too? It is a shame when our district is known to be " one of the best acedemically" BUT POOR when it comes to human relations. I do understand the response/decision they made about the homecoming and I do hope that the current superintendent include this issue ( bully and bullying ) as 1 of the priorities. Teachers/administrators need to be reeducated on how to deal with this issue and have someone to follow up issues pertaining to these . I think this is as important as any other classes that they have to do. Just like a nurse -a teacher's vocation carry different kinds of "hats" and one of them should be an advocator for the kids to be safe.

I am sorry to see it come to this for this young man. I hope it causes the district to wake up and realize that more needs to be done to combat the bullying that is going on. I fear for my kids when they get older and have to deal with this. This is clearly a hot issue in Greendale, it was the most discussed topic at the GMS parent coffee yesterday. Something different needs to be done, it's clear we have a problem and not enough is being done to stop it.

To be fair to the school district, this is an extremely complicated issue. When a child is bullied, they tend to withdraw, and often end up having a very small circle of friends. When the bullying is extreme, as it was with us, the bullies also end up taunting the victim's friends. As a result, the friends distance themselves from the victim, and may avoid them altogether. The victim then becomes isolated. As a result, they have fewer & fewer interactions with peers their own age. This results in the victim becoming socially awkward and "behind"....which, of course, just makes them a bigger target for the bullies. In fact, as the years passed, I received the unspoken message, from the administration, that my son brought some of it on himself...because he was kind of awkward. However, in talking with other parents who lived through this type of situation, I feel pretty confident when I state that, whatever the reason, the students in the Greendale district seem to have a larger tendency to make life a living hell if you are not athletic, gorgeous and "popular". I know of more than one family that had their child transferred out of the district because of this. The vast majority of the kids who switched schools saw their lives improve. In hindsight, that was the biggest parenting mistake we made in the situation. We put too much of a priority on the academic advantages of remaining in the district. I really wish we could go back in time & do it over again.

A further review of state and local law/statute of limitations would obviously be required, but a class action lawsuit against the district should also not be off the table. Everyone suffers within a hostile environment, even children not currently harassed/assaulted function within a state of high alert which detracts from their educational experience.

I would begin by creating a list of teachers and administrators who refused to act when notified of a problem, obstructing justice, etc. Compile victims, bullies/parents, witnesses. Copies of correspondence, etc. A subpoena of school records might also be needed.

To obstruct justice is itself a form of bullying/controlling behavior (enablement). Whether it is a student, teacher, or administrator who is contributing to a hostile atmosphere, they should be identified and suitably punished.

This kid should be recognized as a whistleblower to this ugly cancer in the Greendale School district. Some community service may be in order, but expulsion is completely inappropriate under the circumstances. I hope that someone acquainted with the victim's parents is advising them about appropriate legal action, and I hope that the good alumni and parents commenting here will be willing to testify/present evidence in the event of a lawsuit against the school district. It may also be appropriate to contact government agencies (DPI etc.) about this situation.

As a parent of a child who was bullied I can absolutely tell you that training is needed for the adults in charge. When I brought a situation up at the middle school the counselor told me that the bully was really a friend of my child and suggested that maybe I was misinformed. The administrator told me that "my child was not the only one" and my child was forced to sit next to the bully in numerous classes because the teachers forgot about the situation. This is unacceptable behavior from those in charge of our children's safety every day.

Bren, I respectfully disagree with suing the district. The vast majority of teachers, administrators, and particularly the School Board really care about the students. In my opinion, no one has been deliberately & cold heartedly negligent. Although this issue is being grappled with in schools across the nation, no one has really found a solution to this problem that is effective. I would much rather see the district's time & money devoted to working with the community to come up with a system that would help everyone involved, bullies & their victims.

When this young man was voted on to Prom Court last year and everyone thought it was a joke, why did they let it happen again for Homecoming Court? Did he feel that writing what he did on the bathroom wall was his only hope of the Homecoming dance not happening???

Let's be realistic though....money is the bottom line in life. Severe bullying, like we experienced, only happens to a very small percentage of students. I'm sure that our School Board is outraged by the torment that this small group of kids suffers, but how do they fix it? It will require money, at a time when there isn't even enough money to support the existing programs in place. The last thing the Village citizens want is an increase in taxes. Given that, other programs and/or personnel would need to be cut to finance the costs required to truly address this problem. Who wants to see that? I do realize that bomb scares/threats cost this village quite a bit in terms of increased security, bringing outside canine units in, etc. However, that one time cost is probably peanuts compared to the cost of an on-going, effective solution dealing with bullying. There are no easy answers here, which is why I feel uncomfortable painting this district as negligent in dealing with this complicated problem. Don't get me wrong, I strongly support some serious change, if only to spare one more kid from going through what ours did. It's just not simple folks.

Obviously it's not a very small percentage of students doing the bullying, if this child was voted on the Prom/Home coming court as a joke...... this is the entire class, majority vote gets you on the court... there you go, the majority of the kids are bullies in Greendale. Congratulations Greendale Parents, they are learning this behavior somewhere...starts in the home. Shame on the school district for allowing this, you can't tell me the adminstrators didn't notice something. somewhere.

My kid was physically and mentally bullied very severely in the middle school. Some very caring and competent staff members went above and beyond to help her once the severity of the situation was brought to their attention. However, several bullying episodes were just brushed off by other staff members. My kid was physically attacked (by a group of BOYS yet), but she was repeatedly warned about the zero tolerance policy for violence if she defended herself which she knows how to do.

This is her first year at the high school. Even with all she's been through herself, she thinks that the person who did this most recent bomb threat acted very inappropriately and should be fully punished. Being bullied isn't a license to threaten or hurt others.

If it is true this kid was maliciously voted to prom/homecoming as a cruel joke by a great number of kids, it does sound like the school really dropped the ball. But we haven't heard the school's side of the story.

Please do not lump all the kids in the district as bullies. That is unfair to the students who are decent human beings.

When my child was bullied, and the school administration got very involved and helpful with it, they could not tell me anything about the bully's punishment or lack thereof because the bullies are students with extensive legal and privacy rights.

Wisconsin has a strong anti-bullying law (SB 154 - passed on Oct 20, 2009) which requires school boards to develop anti-bullying policies, including procedures for investigating and disciplining bullying activity . . . but our very own State Senator who "represents" us in Greendale, Mary Lazich was only one of three to vote against the bill which passed with broad bi-partisan support, 29-3.

Senator Lazich did however manage to pass her "Abstinence-only sex-ed" bill . . . That's Senator Mary Lazich for you - always looking out for the best interest of the kiddos - NOT!

...and here is a link to the vote on that anti-bullying bill that Lazich votes AGAINST http://openstates.org/wi/votes/WIV00001675/
And an explanation of the bill itself - http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/91054679.html

I love you buddy!!! You best not get no jail time!!!

I personally see him almost every day, well until all this. A lot of people including me and my friends love him to death. This is seriously from bullying, I know him enough that he's really affected by it even tho he just laughs it off. He shouldn't go to that school ever again because I've backed him up enough times to know people ruined his self esteem. He constantly asks for help and I try my best to. I wish I tried harder for him so things wouldnt end up like this. Without him there will be a lot less joy in mine and plenty of people's life's that I know. Remember bro I love you and I hope I get to take you out tomorrow to get away from this just for a lil while

Parents contact your school board and district admin. One board member was saying this week the kid is expelled. They need to do their job and stand up and tell us what they are going to do.

School board members must remain impartial on the subject. Any due process hearing (an expulsion hearing being one) requires an opportunity to present before an impartial body. If a board member has publicly prejudged the matter, then they must recluse themselves, or risk having the expulsion overturned for bias.

I don't know this boy or the family, but I hope the family has retained a lawyer who understands the law relating to expulsion. Once a child is expelled, the parents must continue to provide the child with an education (in another district, a private school, or by home schooling), but no district in Wisconsin is required to accept the child. Some districts will agree to drop the expulsion if the child withdraws from school, which often turns out to be the family's best option since it is very hard to defend an expulsion case. A lawyer could be helpful, however, in presenting evidence of bullying, etc., which may have some affect on the penalty. I also hope that the district does more to educate students and families about the consequences that flow from these sorts of threats. In a post-Columbine society, it's not okay to make a bomb threat or to otherwise threaten the health and safety of the students, and kids who do so are very likely to face both explusion and criminal charges. Perhaps if the district did more (without violating privacy laws) to show the community what happens in cases like these, we wouldn't have had to deal with two bomb threats in less than a year and the costs and circumstances that result.

This boy’s family truly thanks everyone for your comments and support. They really do appreciate it during this time. This kid has been bullied a long time. Dealt with it as best he could. He didn’t share much of this with his parents, at least not in high school, maybe from fear of retaliation from the one's doing the bullying. Everybody can only take so much before they react in one form or another. What I don’t understand why the school NEVER contacted his parents regarding the bullying. They had to have known it was going on to some extent. I can appreciate the zero tolerance for certain behaviors, why not for bullying. I have heard that even MPS has a zero tolerance for bullying.
Of course I do not condone his actions in regards to the threat, it was wrong and there are consequences. However we need to treat the root of the problem, the bully's. Who are these kids on the prom and homecoming council and who do they answer to. They knew what was going on in this case and chose to go along with it, how repulsive is that?
I do know the family has retained counsel for his legal troubles. Now his school situation is a separate matter. This family is in abit of a wrestling match with what to do there. Withdraw him and pony up tuition for a private school or pony up attorney fees to fight the upcoming expulsion. Either way he is going to pay a heavy price for his actions that are clearly the result of the bullying.

Everyone of those kids who tallied the votes for homecoming king, etc. should be punished for not reporting this to the school administration. I'm assuming they were involved as well. I have a daughter at the high school and she tells me all the time about how bad things are with exclusion of kids in groups, etc. Mean girls, "populars", etc. Administration doesn't do anything and all the "pride" "care" stuff just doesn't work. Bullies always get more rights than those bullied. "Populars" always get more rights at school and things that get a look the other way attitude. Just look at how some of them dress. There is no dress code at the high school for them. My daughter has asked for us to move so she can go to another school, how sad. If the current administration at the high school can't seem to get it right then maybe a new administration is necessary. Clean up the schools and don't let the bullies rule.

I agree that the bullying program that starts in the grade schools needs to be continued and even more so into mide school and high school. That being said, this kid who made the threat needs to take some responsibility for his actions. The kids are all told what to do if being bullied. Instead of making a bomb threat, how about simply going to someone and saying, "I'm not going to homecoming, I don't want to be on court." No one would have forced him to be on either the prom or homecoming court. It's not a rule that you have to be on it if you are voted to it. He was at the school during the last bomb threat, he knew was consequences lay ahead if him. The boys of Columnbine were apparently bullied too. I don't recall people feeling sorry for them, I remember people being angry for what they had done.

It's pretty clear, based on the comments here, that everyone agrees that there should be consequences for this boy. However, the majority posting here seem to feel that, in this case, the extenuating circumstances also need to be considered when deciding those consequences.

While this young man IS going to get what’s coming to him for his actions he also is getting the help he needs to resolve issues caused by the nonstop harassment by the "guilty" students at GHS. The prom and homecoming incidents are just 2 events in a long list that span his entire time at GHS.
This young man is asking forgiveness from everyone affected by his actions.
Please anybody with a similar story; forward it to the school board, if we can help another kid..........

The problem is that at least one school board member has already decreed he want the kid expelled. Help our Kids is right. Forward your concerns to the school board and make him eat his words.

Maybe we should elect a new school board. I just found out today at the band program that 3 out of the 5 school board members including the one who wants the kid expelled are up for election in April. He was there and was avoiding talking to parents.

There are a large number of comments and no one from the Greendale Public Schools have answered. We have no idea what is going on other then knowing a student may get hung out to dry. I hope the parents of this school system wake up and see how they are getting fooled.

We learned early this morning that the student believed responsible for the threat is being charged with a misdemeanor. We'll have more on the story soon. Find what we've got here: http://greendale.patch.com/articles/charges-filed-against-ghs-threat-suspect. This is also the story we'll update as soon as we have more—which should be soon.

I am a mother of child that was bullied at GHS. And I am here to tell that the administration did NOTHING for my son. My son was ran into the lockers (he had bruises on his upper arms) soda was poured on his backpack and they were always calling him names. My son was not the most athletic and he was reminded of that every day. Certain football players would make his life a living hell during lunch and they were applauded for their abilities on the field every Friday night. I really feel that maybe if the administration and the superintent did something back then maybe just maybe that boy would not have gone to such extremes. The adminstarion brought this on themselves and I hope someday they feel the pain all these kids and their parents felt.

Chris Snieg
I'm a mother of two grown adult childlren who went through the Greendale schools and graduated in '98 and '01. One child was very, very popular and the other felt excluded and hated the social environment at Greendale schools, although she was an excellent student. At one point she wanted to go to Martin Luther, and I wouldn't hear of it. I regret that decision to this day. As for the current situation, my prayer is that the bullying incidents will be dealt with at the School District. However, if that doesn't bring some action, the Greendale Police Department should be contacted, especially when there are physical injuries. The District does get serious about police reports involving its students. I really feel sad for all the bullied students, and perhaps this incident will rev up a no tolerance for bullying policy in Greendale School District.