How far would you go to find out if your child was being bullied in school? Did this mom go too far or did the school act inappropriately in calling in the police?
Sarah Sims’ fourth grade daughter complained to her mom that she was being bullied at her Norfolk Virginia public school. Sims says that after hearing her daughter’s allegations, she reached out to school officials but received no response. That’s when she decided to take the matter into her own hands by sending her daughter to school with a digital audio recorder in her backpack. She hoped to hear a recording of her daughter’s day at school which would corroborate her daughter’s story.
Teachers found the device, confiscated it and apparently called the police. Norfolk police charged Sims with a felony, (intercepting wire, electronic or oral communications) and a misdemeanor (contributing to the delinquency of a minor). All charges were ultimately dropped..
Sarah Sims says that at first she tried to encourage her daughter. She wanted to be fair and not, “just side with my child.” But, she felt she was, “letting her (daughter) down by not believing her,” so she sent in the recording device.
Her nine-year-old daughter is currently still enrolled in the same school but is in a different class
Related:
A Letter to the Victims of Cyberbullying: I Promise to Do My Part