Parent tells Huntley 158 board child was bullied repeatedly at Macquarie; plans safety meeting with school and police

During public comment on April 3, a Macquarie Elementary parent described repeated bullying incidents involving her second-grade son and urged the district to take action. The parent said the incidents began in March after a new student joined the class and described physical and verbal threats, including an incident in which the new student allegedly ‘‘punched bits into the chest’’ of four boys and later told classmates he wished they would die.

The parent said she had contacted the principal, the child’s teacher, the superintendent’s office and the district staff responsible for bullying; she said she would present a safety plan to the principal the next day and had scheduled a formal complaint meeting with a district police officer the following Monday at 9:30 a.m. The parent said she was also seeking legal advice because she felt the situation had not improved after more than a month and expressed concern for roughly two dozen students in the same classroom.

The board thanked the parent for speaking and said staff would follow up. No formal board action was recorded in the meeting minutes; the parent’s remarks were delivered during the public-comment portion of the agenda.

Ending: The parent said she would follow up with the principal and the scheduled meeting with the police officer; the board acknowledged the comment and indicated staff would follow up.