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 Lyric Elliott is being repeatedly bullied by several other children. (Chris Doucette, QMI Agency) |
TORONTO - Toronto District School Board officials are downplaying the accusations of an eight-year-old Scarborough girl who says she has endured 18 months of abuse at the hands of bullies.
And the little girl's mom, Jacqueline Elliott, says if the board and staff at William Tredway Junior Public School had acted as swiftly to protect her daughter as they have to protect themselves, she never would have had to pull Lyric out of school or go public with her story.
"It seems to me that they're not looking at this as a young child who is calling out for help. They're more interested in saving face or saving their jobs," Elliott said Thursday, a day after her daughter's picture was splashed across the front page of the Sun.
Elliott says she visited the principal's office 163 times about the bullying.
But the TDSB strongly disputes the woman's allegation that little, if anything, was done to help her daughter.
"We have provided various opportunities for support and intervention. And they have always been denied," said school superintendent Kerry-Lynn Stadnyk.
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However, she was unwilling to elaborate or provide examples of what exactly was offered.
Stadnyck also refused to confirm or deny the number of times Elliott visited the school over incidents of bullying.
"I don't know the exact number of times that the parent has been in the office. But I know she has been in there, or called the principal, many, many times," she said. "And ... each time the principal or vice-principal or whoever else she has contacted in the Toronto District School Board has listened to her very carefully and investigated her allegations thoroughly."
Stadnyk wouldn't even conclude outright that Lyric has ever been victimized.
"No staff member has witnessed any bullying of this child," she said.
"This child has never, ever reported to the principal directly any allegation of bullying," Stadnyk said. "She has always gone home to her mom and then the mom has brought it forward."
She said the incidents that were investigated were "far less" serious than what the girl's mom had reported.
chris.doucette@sunmedia.ca