Prior to reading my comments, it would be helpful to read the following articles that were posted on canoe.ca:

Ontario teen bullied beyond belief

Bullied student finds support

Now…The story of this girl, Lindsay Hyde, strikes a powerful chord within me.  It is not for sentimental reasons, as I was rarely bullied at school.  I am not small and can stand up for myself.  I have also had schooling in multiple forms of combat arts and as a last option, have no problems with any physical confrontation.  However, bullying is rarely one-on-one.  Bullies are like hyenas, they attack in packs.  Numbers provide confidence.

Bullies are the blights of the school yard until someone stands up to them.  Sadly, this girl is not physically capable of doing so without invoking serious retaliation and scorn from school administrators.  From what I have read, the school has done relatively little to appease her concerns.  In so saying that, I can say that it is very difficult for a school to do anything until a physical confrontation has occured.  It becomes a case of “she said, she said.”   Teachers nowadays are not allowed to break up a fight.  They can face reprimand, discipline and possible job loss.  Furthermore, if an altercation occurs off of school property, it becomes a matter for the authorities.

While my tendency is to say fight back, to do so truly makes the situation a catch-22.  If Lindsay is successful, she faces expulsion.  If she is unsuccessful, she faces a far worse beating than she has recieved in the past.  The situation reminds me of the movie The Karate Kid.  It is too bad there is no Mister Miyagi for Lindsay Hyde.

Despite their restrictions, the Peel School Board could still be helpful in this situation.  The could allow Lindsay to transfer to another school (and cover the bus fare), or they could appoint a bodyguard for her.  The latter is something that has never been employed before, but thinking outside the box is something I do well.  It is the responsibility of the School Board to ensure a safe environment for all staff and students, by any means necessary.  Lastly, if it were up to me, I would name these bullies publicly.  They are punks, nothing more, and should be treated the way that they treat others.  Let the public bully them, and give them a taste of their own medicine.  Let them be shamed into behaving properly.

Lastly my message to Lindsay, should she ever come across this blog and read this post is very simple.  Persevere.  Take strength from those people who matter in your life.  You will overcome the adversity before you.  To speak out and stand up to these bullies is courageous.  You are not running and hiding and this is admirable.