California Girl, 10, Bullied To ‘Breaking Point,’ Says Mom

VICTORVILLE, CA -- At just 7 years old, Ja’lana Douglas had her first experience with bullying as a student at Brentwood Elementary in Victorville, Calif. The second grader was allegedly threatened to be killed by another student, prompting Ja’lana to fear for her life.

Three years later, her experience with bullying has been unchanged, said Ja’lana’s mother, Rolanda Jones. Ja’lana, now 10, has allegedly been physically attacked by a group of her peers, she has suffered bruises, her eyeglasses have been stolen and offensive comments about her hair have been made, Jones said.

“She’s pretty much at the breaking point,” Jones told Patch. “She’s not a fighter… she’s not violent but she’s finding that she needs to defend herself because nothing is being done.”

Roughly one in four U.S. students have been bullied at school with most instances of bullying involving groups of students as opposed to one student bullying another, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which defines bullying as “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children.”

But for Jones, Ja’lana is not another statistic. To Jones, she is “her baby,” as the youngest of four children.

Although Ja’lana enjoys learning, her school days have been plagued by cruel interactions with her peers, Jones said.

For example, in third grade six girls allegedly attacked Ja’lana two days in a row.

“The girls told Ja’lana that if she said anything, she would get in trouble so it was her friend’s mother who called to tell me,” Jones said.

The following year, Ja’lana was allegedly punched in the face. Jones said she has attempted to remedy the situation by transferring her daughter from Brentwood Elementary to Puesta Del Sol Elementary this school year but the bullying has continued.

Ja'lana wouldn't elaborate on how the bullies in her new school treat her but said they make comments to her using "bad words." She said there's a group of about six boys and girls who pick on her daily.

"It makes me feel really sad," Ja'lana said. "I usually tell my teacher."

Jones said she was unaware of the bullying until she received notice from the school that Ja’lana was transferred to another class in an effort to protect her from the bullies. Jones said she attempted to speak to Nicole Anderson, the principal, but did not receive a response.

"I was pretty upset about the situation,” Jones said. “They then tried to ban me from the school premises because I raised my voice."

Eric Camarena, a spokesperson for Victor Elementary School District, declined to comment on Ja’lana’s case stating privacy concerns, but discussed the district’s policies regarding bullying.

"We work really hard to take a proactive approach to deal with behavior and bullying," Camarena said. "We start every school year with three weeks of behavior units that are specific to each grade level. Bullying prevention is embedded in those units. Throughout the year we utilize Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports, restorative justice, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support to set expectations, provide support and to model positive behavior for our students. We also utilize our school psychologists to help with this."

When a student is bullied, the "situation is handled on a case-by-case basis," Camarena said. "Our approach is based on building collaborative relationships with our students and their families."

For Jones, the only foreseeable remedy would be to transfer Ja’lana to another school but the district refuses to allow the transfer, she said. Camarena said parents can enroll their children in "any school they would like at any time" but schools may not be able to accommodate a transfer because of capacity constraints.

Jones said she fears if the bullying continues, the consequences will worsen.

“I’m afraid that it will change my daughter … that something drastic will happen,” Jones said. “The fact that she was threatened with her life and nothing happened tells me, there’s no sense of protection for her.”

Through the end of 2018, Patch will continue its in-depth look at society's roles and responsibilities in bullying, which can lead to a child's unthinkable decision to end their own life, in hopes we might offer solutions that save lives.

Do you have a story to tell? Are you concerned about how your local schools handle bullies and their victims?

Email us at bullies@patch.com and share your views in the comments.

Earlier In This Series

• The Bully Menace: When Kids Kill With Words
• America's Shameful Truth About Bullies And School Shootings
• 'They All Failed And Changed A Child': Bullying Detailed
• Teen Tells Bullies In Video: 'Every Day I Wear Your Words'
• Teen's 'I Wear Your Words' Video Inspires Nashville Songwriters
• Bullying Of Mallory Grossman Detailed In Lawsuit Against School
• Bullies And Their Targets The Same: Digital Self-Harm Rising
• Why These Kindergartners Start Each Day With A Respectful Handshake
• Bullying In New York City Schools Never Worse: Survey
• The Bully Menace: 13 Great Books For Kids Of All Ages

--Photos courtesy of Rolanda Jones