㽶Ƶֱ

Skip to content

㽶ƵֱI want to learn㽶Ƶֱ: Bullying forces Chilliwack teen to stay home for a month

Stacey Koehler says ongoing teasing and physical bullying has kept her from attending high school
16883373_web1_StaceyKoehler2.0414
㽶ƵֱThey used to pick on me because I was bald,㽶Ƶֱ Stacey says. 㽶ƵֱThere have been some comments about what I weigh, or what I㽶Ƶֱm wearing. They call me names, but I㽶Ƶֱm not allowed to repeat those names.㽶Ƶֱ (Jenna Hauck/ The Progress)

It㽶Ƶֱs been more than a month since Stacey Koehler has been to her high school.

The last day she attended Chilliwack secondary, Stacey says she was bullied so badly that she ended up in the emergency room with symptoms of a concussion. But nobody at the school is willing to admit she was bullied, even hit, by other students. Administration told Stacey and her grandma, Elizabeth Koehler, that they would investigate the incident but so far they㽶Ƶֱve not heard anything back.

㽶ƵֱI㽶Ƶֱm still kinda mad about it,㽶Ƶֱ Stacey told the Chilliwack Progress at her kitchen table this week. 㽶ƵֱThey are trying to say I self-inflicted a concussion. The hospital told us that that is medically impossible.㽶Ƶֱ

Stacey, a Grade 11 student, insists she was punched in the head by a classmate while she sat at a computer. The school says she hit herself repeatedly with a badminton racket.

There has been no face-to-face meeting between Stacey and the student she says hit her. And the violence didn㽶Ƶֱt come out of the blue, Stacey says. It started somewhat back at her middle school, A.D. Rundle.

And then, when Stacey started high school, she was almost immediately given some very bad news.

READ MORE:

She has a tumour in a large part of her brain, and has a cancer diagnosis of anaplastic astrocytoma. It㽶Ƶֱs inoperable and her life expectancy is short, but she did go through chemotherapy and radiation last year.

She lost her hair, but kept going to school as often as she could. All of her recent scans show that the tumour is at bay for now.

Still, the young cancer survivor was teased and bullied for her looks. She was teased for having seizures at school.

㽶ƵֱThey used to pick on me because I was bald,㽶Ƶֱ she said, with tears in her eyes. 㽶ƵֱThere have been some comments about what I weigh, or what I㽶Ƶֱm wearing. They call me names, but I㽶Ƶֱm not allowed to repeat those names.㽶Ƶֱ

The usual response from teachers, she says, is to readjust the classroom and move people around. But that doesn㽶Ƶֱt help in the hallways, or in classes without desks, such as PE.

㽶ƵֱThey have tried to force me to forgive them,㽶Ƶֱ Stacey explained. But she wants to see those who have bullied her held accountable for their actions.

More than that, she doesn㽶Ƶֱt want it to happen again. And because the school won㽶Ƶֱt deal with it, she said, she㽶Ƶֱs staying home.

㽶ƵֱI want to be at school,㽶Ƶֱ she said. 㽶ƵֱI miss some of my friends. I want to learn.㽶Ƶֱ

Her grandma refuses to let her go anyway.

㽶ƵֱShe got really sick, she was vomiting,㽶Ƶֱ her grandma said.

㽶ƵֱThey took a CT scan, hooked her up to an IV, and said it was a concussion. I will not send her back. This time it㽶Ƶֱs a concussion, next time they could be pulling her out on a stretcher. This has been going on for quite a while.㽶Ƶֱ

With only a few weeks of class time left in the school year, it㽶Ƶֱs not looking likely that Stacey will get her credits from this semester. They are considering other options for her to catch up, and went to the Education Centre to see if she could enrol there. But that requires a referral, and that hasn㽶Ƶֱt come yet.

But according to the Chilliwack School District㽶Ƶֱs behaviour policies for students, it isn㽶Ƶֱt Stacey who should be sitting at home, or looking for new schooling options.

In situations like Stacey㽶Ƶֱs, the student who misbehaved should be referred to the District Behaviour Committee. From there, options for punishment and restorative justice include suspension, offers of counselling, the alternate suspension program at the YMCA, referral to outside agencies, an alternative education setting inside or outside the school district, expulsion for students older than age 16, or referral to student services.

The School District can㽶Ƶֱt speak to individual cases or on students㽶Ƶֱ private information to confirm or deny Stacey㽶Ƶֱs story. But the family㽶Ƶֱs next move is a telling one. They are leaving town and moving to Alberta over the summer, for a fresh start.

GET CONNECTED:

Kids Help Phone: Call 1-800-668-6868, text CONNECT to 686868, or live chat online at .

Emergency: 911 or 1-877-820-7444 for the Fraser Health Crisis Line, or 1-800-784-2433.

Youth in BC Distress Line: 24-hour distress line staffed by counsellors and trained volunteers, 1-866-661-3311.

Mental Health Support: 310-6789 for emotional support, information and resources specific to mental health



jpeters@theprogress.com

Like us on and follow us on .



Jessica Peters

About the Author: Jessica Peters

I began my career in 1999, covering communities across the Fraser Valley ever since.
Read more



(or

㽶Ƶֱ

) document.head.appendChild(flippScript); window.flippxp = window.flippxp || {run: []}; window.flippxp.run.push(function() { window.flippxp.registerSlot("#flipp-ux-slot-ssdaw212", "Black Press Media Standard", 1281409, [312035]); }); }