Mother of girl who posted anti-bullying video faults superintendent

Following an impassioned community and online reaction to the anti-bullying video posted on YouTube last month by Bedford Middle School student Alye Pollack, her mother is criticizing Westport Superintendent of Schools Elliott Landon's response.

Since her eighth-grade daughter posted the video on the popular website March 14, Audra Kruk told the Westport News that Landon has declined to return several phone calls that she and her husband have made requesting an in-person meeting with him about the bullying issue.

"I think he's unaware of the situation that my daughter has been in since she entered Bedford Middle School," Kruk said Thursday. "If there is a policy that states that he is to be made aware of every bullying incident, then there is a break in their system, and I'd like it fixed."

Melissa Kay, the principal of Bedford Middle School, emailed students' families on March 25 in response to Alye's video and underscored school policy that prohibits bullying. Kruk said she has met with Kay since the video was posted to discuss her daughter's situation.

Last Monday, Board of Education members condemned bullying at a public meeting and called on students and parents to notify school officials about all bullying incidents.

The board also has a policy that requires school officials to investigate all reported bullying incidents. The policy prohibits all forms of bullying, and sanctions for such misconduct include suspension and expulsion.

But Kruk said that addressing her daughter's predicament and the general problem of bullying in Westport public schools must include face-to-face talks with Landon.

"It's important for us to work as a team," she said. "I'm trying, but he is not."

Two calls to Landon's office on Thursday were not returned by press time.

Since Alye posted her video, titled "Words are Worse than Sticks and Stones" -- in which she pleads for an end to the bullying she has suffered at school -- it has attracted nearly 450,000 views. However, no more comments can be made on the video. Instead, inquiries and comments are directed to a Facebook page, facebook.com/WRDSDOHRT, or to an email address set up by her parents, wordsdohurt@gmail.com.

Kruk said that Alye's video has improved the atmosphere at Bedford and that several students have apologized to her daughter for past bullying incidents. She added that her daughter has not been bullied at school since she uploaded the video.

"Just seeing that a couple of people have made a change is huge," she said. "Alye made a powerful statement by doing this video, and it worked."