NEWPORT NEWS, Va.— A Newport News mother said she has had enough of her daughter getting bullied. She said it's been an ongoing issue that began at the start of the school year.
Crystal Hall's daughter is in 7th grade at Crittenden Middle School.
Hall said the tipping point for her is when a classmate allegedly told her daughter, 'When I shoot the school up, you will be the first one.'
Hall said the bully is terrorizing her daughter.
"I'm angry, I'm nervous. I don't trust anybody in the school" said Hall.
Hall said the bullying started off with racial slurs being used towards her daughter, including the N-word and much more.
"Coons, monkeys, go back to your country. Different things like that," said Crystal Hall.
Hall said she reported the bullying to the school, and the threat to the police, but she feels like school leaders are not acting on the issue.
Newport News Public Schools Spokesperson Michelle Price sent the following statement to News 3.
"The safety, security and wellbeing of our students and staff is the top priority. The school division takes threats, bullying complaints and concerns very seriously. The administrative team at Crittenden Middle School and the Newport News Police Department were notified of this incident and have been working diligently with the parents and students involved. NNPS will continue to provide the appropriate interventions and resources to support all parties involved."
Shant'a Miller-White serves as an advocate for bullied children and the children's families. She said parents should talk to their kids about bullying, especially if they see a change in their children'sNewpo behavior.
"You're talking to them every day, you're asking them how their day was, and noticing also change in their movement, their activity," said Miller-White, who's the founder of Parents Against Bullying.
White created Parents Against Bullying after her daughter was assaulted on a school bus a decade ago.
"This particular person kicked my daughter in the head for a total of 17 minutes and my daughter almost passed away," said White.
News 3's Kelsey Jones asked Miller-White what should parents do when they feel like the school is just not doing enough.
"My thing is you have to know your rights, know your handbook, backwards and forwards, and ask questions. Meet with people and go in with an open mind that you're a team," said White.
Hall said she plans to take her concerns to the board, but she's also considering sending her daughter to a magnet program.
