SAN ANTONIO -- Texas may be closer to anti-bullying legislation. Equality Texas released a new poll saying 80 percent of Texas voters want laws to help teachers battle bullying in the classroom.
But for many parents, like Connie Smith, legislation isn't moving fast enough. Smith fears another life could be lost, before something changes.
"In certain classes, my son is picked on, poked, and harassed every day," commented Smith.
She says constant bullying ever since her son began 6th grade at Krueger middle school, has put her now 13-year-old son into depression and isolation.
"He keeps himself in his room, and he doesn't come out a whole lot," explained Smith. "And his grades have gone down tremendously."
Smith showed News 4 WOAI the email response she received from a teacher, confirming another student hit her son in the face during class. But an official write-up the school sent home to Smith days later didn't mention a word about the attack, or any action taken against the other child.
"This school said they would protect my son," commented Smith. "They have not protected my son one bit."
NEISD Spokesperson Veronica Lawson told News 4 WOAI that the district took disciplinary action.
"Once we found out about [the incident], we did take immediate action to find out what the problem was," Lawson explained. "We talked to both students who were involved. We did contact their parents to make them aware of what was taking place."
Current state law requires schools to ban bullying in their student code of conduct. But lawmakers want to hold schools more accountable.
Right now, seven anti-bullying bills are up for discussion in the next legislative session. Some of them call for districts to develop a strategy to combat bullying, and report the number of bullying incidents each year.
For Smith, educating students, parents, and teachers alike can't come soon enough.
"I love my son," Smith said between tears. "And if anything happens to him, they don't want to see me at that school."
Tuesday, NEISD officials said if a student fights back when he or she is being harassed, it's not considered bullying. The district also encourages parents and children to speak up when there's a problem.
