Dear School Administration, in QUOTIDIEN

My daughter was bullied in your school. I received a call from the school counselor to let me know what had happened. "You know how it is - he likely thought he was being funny. That's how teenage boys are."

Hackles immediately raised. My daughter has been 'vagina'd' and a feeble attempt to perpetrate the rape culture was full swing....at your middle school.

'Oh no, you don't. At 14 years of age, children know what is hurtful. No, ma'am. This boy does not get a penis pass.'

'I know exactly how you feel, Mrs. G. I have children of my own.'

Okay - so another pet peeve of mine is people telling me they know exactly how I feel.

'No, ma'am. You have no clue.' Don't they teach your counselors ANYTHING? 'You don't know exactly how I feel - or how my daughter feels.'

When I told her I wanted to be certain that this was dealt with in an appropriate fashion. She told me due to privacy issues, they couldn't do that. Given that he chose to bully my child - those rights should be forfeited, at least where my daughter is concerned. She needs to know that it wasn't just brushed off.

I will not rest until I am satisfied that this bully has been dealt with outside of 'just a warning'. According to your student handbook, you can do that if you decide that it wasn't meant to harm her or be hurtful. If that happens, I will have both feet planted on the vice-principal's chest (I hear he doles out the punishments) while I tell the principal how the response would be different if the comment had been made about a kid being too black, or too gay. And I WILL take it to the papers as a story about the perpetration of rape culture in our little town of ___!

The ball is in your court.

Regards, The woman who advocates for those who can't advocate for themselves...for a living.