Parents and local leaders will hold a rally outside J.H.S. 216 in Fresh Meadows this afternoon to protest incidents of alleged bullying at the school (Photo Google Maps)
June 27, 2022 By Michael Dorgan:
Parents and local leaders will hold a rally outside a junior high school in Fresh Meadows this afternoon to protest incidents of alleged bullying at the school.
The rally will take place at 1:30 p.m. outside J.H.S. 216, located at 64-20 175th St., where demonstrators say a number of students have been physically bullied by other students recently while attending the school.
The demonstrators say that authorities at the school have failed to take quick and appropriate steps to address the alleged incidents. The rally is being organized to highlight the alleged bullying incidents at the school and to spur authorities there into action.
For instance, the demonstrators say that a female 6th-grade student called Emma was physically attacked by four male students at the school on June 16.
The victim, according to a police report, was playing volleyball in the school yard during school hours when four individuals got into an argument with her. The dispute escalated and the victim was struck multiple times.
Photos of Emma’s alleged injuries show bruising to her neck, arm and leg.
The victim, demonstrators say, was not offered any medical assistance after the incident and she is still in a lot of pain.
Further, Emma was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – a mental health condition which is triggered by a terrifying event — a few days ago, according to the demonstrators. The protesters say the school neglected to address the incident in a fair and timely manner.
Emma is an immigrant student with limited English, according to the protesters. Police have no reports of any racial epithets being used during the alleged assault.
The protesters at today’s rally will call for a thorough investigation into Emma’s alleged bullying incident.
They will also demand that the other incidents of alleged bullying at the school will be looked into.
(Photos of Emma’s alleged injuries)
