Local Father Talks About Washington Bullying Conference
THE COLONY (CBSDFW.COM) - Jason Lance says he holds his five-year-old son Dooley's hand a little tighter, and he admits he's not a strict father. That's because just over a year ago the family lost his nine-year-old son Montana, who hung himself inside the nurse's bathroom on the campus of Stewart's Creek Elementary School in The Colony.
"We're doing good" says Lance. "It's still day by day."
Jason Lance says he would have liked to attend the White House Conference on Bullying but couldn't afford to make the trip. He says he wants to see schools be more accountable. "There's got to be a way to tighten the crack and make them more responsible for what goes on while they have anyone's children, let alone mine."
Lance says he and his wife repeatedly reported bullying to school officials and he says no action was ever taken. "In fact the teacher that he had told him to quit being a tattle tale, that Montana tattles too much," says Lance.
Lance believes bullying should be treated as a crime, much like domestic violence. "Domestic violence is wrong. It's a crime. So is bullying. It's been tolerated for years but now it's wrong"
Lance says he and his wife would like to see counseling centers established specifically for bullying. He would like those centers to include counselors for bullies, the victims and for families. He also favors cameras in classrooms so parents could observe. "You should be able to log in and see what's going on in that class, anywhere, whether you're at work or in Europe" says Lance.
"In my son's case they didn't even have a key to the bathroom where he locked himself in at the nurse's station" says Lance. "She didn't have a key to get in there. They had to find the janitor, then got in."
"You know that old saying 'sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you' is a lie because sometimes these kids, especially ones that are very sensitive to things will take those words worse than a broken bone" says Lance.
