Another report of bullying in the Fairfield City School District near Cincinnati is raising the concern of Asian American parents.
The case came to light in a police report obtained by AsAmNews.
Aquila Hound-Liao tells police her eight and ten year old daughters have been physically assaulted by other children after getting off the school bus.
On January 24, the day the police report was filed, Hound-Liao accused a parent of the bullying students of cursing and making threats against her children. The incident allegedly occurred after Hound-Liao brought the bullying to the school district’s attention.
The FCSD is the same district where Emilie Olsen, a 13-year-old adopted Chinese girl, committed suicide after her parents allege she endured years of bullying which they accuse the district of ignoring. Leah Schmitz, Emilie’s best friend who was also adopted from China, suffered a concussion when her parents say a boy intentionally swiped his hockey stick around her ankles even though she was away from the action.
The Olsen case is currently being investigated by the Ohio State Department of Education and is the subject of a lawsuit against the District filed by the parents of Olsen.
“Bullying behavior by any student/school personnel is strictly prohibited in our school district,” said Billy Smith, Superintendent of the Fairfield City School District said to AsAmNews. “As a result, all bullying allegations brought forward are taken seriously and investigated. As a district we continue to seek and support initiatives that educate our students about harassment and bullying to eliminate unacceptable and/or harmful behaviors.”
Smith declined to comment specifically on the allegations from Hound-Laio.
“I was under the impression that since the Olsen and Schmitz cases, Fairfield Schools were making progress towards controlling bullying,” said attorney Charleston Wang who represented the Schmitz family in their case. “This new case shows otherwise. The parents have been trying very hard to work with the elementary school to stop the bullying of their daughters, but was not getting the help needed. Instead their efforts made the bullying worse and they felt the need to go to the police for help. Who will help them?”
Police have told Hound-Liao she could request a “stand by if she fears further problems.”
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