To Write Love On Her Arms

     Today while I was staring at my 'To Write Love On Her Arms' bracelet I thought about this book thing. How much was I going to share about my life? Anyone can read it. I started to get scared,what if someone at my new school saw this and used it as ammunition for more torture. I then relized.....I really don't care. I have friends now and family who will support my through anything. Throughthe book you will hear EVERYTHING I did. I might even post about it. Till I feel like blogging again peace,love,and music to you all!

Raquel :3

OHIO bullying laws

http://www.bullypolice.org/oh_law.html

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio: Sec. 3301.22.  The state board of education shall develop a model policy to prohibit harassment, intimidation, or bullying in order to assist school districts in developing their own policies under section 3313.666 of the Revised Code. The board shall issue the model policy within six months after the effective date of this section.
Sec. 3313.666.  (A) As used in this section, "harassment, intimidation, or bullying" means any intentional written, verbal, or physical act that a student has exhibited toward another particular student more than once and the behavior both:
(1) Causes mental or physical harm to the other student;
(2) Is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive that it creates an intimidating, threatening, or abusive educational environment for the other student.
(B) The board of education of each city, local, exempted village, and joint vocational school district shall establish a policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation, or bullying. The policy shall be developed in consultation with parents, school employees, school volunteers, students, and community members. The policy shall include the following:
(1) A statement prohibiting harassment, intimidation, or bullying of any student on school property or at school-sponsored events;
(2) A definition of harassment, intimidation, or bullying that shall include the definition in division (A) of this section;
(3) A procedure for reporting prohibited incidents;
(4) A requirement that school personnel report prohibited incidents of which they are aware to the school principal or other administrator designated by the principal;
(5) A requirement that parents or guardians of any student involved in a prohibited incident be notified and, to the extent permitted by section 3319.321 of the Revised Code and the "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974," 88 Stat. 571, 20 U.S.C. 1232q, as amended, have access to any written reports pertaining to the prohibited incident;
(6) A procedure for documenting any prohibited incident that is reported;
(7) A procedure for responding to and investigating any reported incident;
(8) A strategy for protecting a victim from additional harassment, intimidation, or bullying, and from retaliation following a report;
(9) A disciplinary procedure for any student guilty of harassment, intimidation, or bullying, which shall not infringe on any student's rights under the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States;
(10) A requirement that the district administration semiannually provide the president of the district board a written summary of all reported incidents and post the summary on its web site, if the district has a web site, to the extent permitted by section 3319.321 of the Revised Code and the "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974," 88 Stat. 571, 20 U.S.C. 1232q, as amended.
(C) Each board's policy shall appear in any student handbooks, and in any of the publications that set forth the comprehensive rules, procedures, and standards of conduct for schools and students in the district. Information regarding the policy shall be incorporated into employee training materials.
(D) A school district employee, student, or volunteer shall be individually immune from liability in a civil action for damages arising from reporting an incident in accordance with a policy adopted pursuant to this section if that person reports an incident of harassment, intimidation, or bullying promptly in good faith and in compliance with the procedures as specified in the policy.
(E) Except as provided in division (D) of this section, nothing in this section prohibits a victim from seeking redress under any other provision of the Revised Code or common law that may apply.
(F) This section does not create a new cause of action or a substantive legal right for any person.
Sec. 3313.667.  (A) Any school district may form bullying prevention task forces, programs, and other initiatives involving volunteers, parents, law enforcement, and community members.
(B) To the extent that state or federal funds are appropriated for these purposes, each school district shall:
(1) Provide training, workshops, or courses on the district's harassment, intimidation, or bullying policy adopted pursuant to section 3313.666 of the Revised Code to school employees and volunteers who have direct contact with students. Time spent by school employees in the training, workshops, or courses shall apply towards any state- or district-mandated continuing education requirements.
(2) Develop a process for educating students about the policy.
(C) This section does not create a new cause of action or a substantive legal right for any person.
 
 

In our case, the bully went unpunished.

Target

A lot of you have been asking how Raquel's bullying got started.

We switched school districts in 2010. As I will discuss in the first chapter of the book, I felt, as a mother it needed to be done.
Raquel started 7th grade at a new middle school. The middle school held 6th - 8th. The district we were previously in, middleschool was 7th and 8th.
Raquel is a quiet, loyal, caring, and a great person. she has always been that way. Its hard for her to make friends. She has had a lot of medical issues from 2009-2010 that she was still dealing with. She was missing a lot of school.

When she missed school, this girl (who we will call Diana) told everyone that the reason she was missing school was because she was sleeping around. (Clearly not the reason)
Because of this, boys would come up to her in the hallway and put their arms around her and say things like "my parents are not going to be home tonight" etc.

This was only the beginning

Did her quiet caring nature make her a target?

I will go more into details as I write the book. I think Raquel will be posting regarding it too.

Please, share this blog with your friends and family, lets get the word out and try and help one person to stop being bullied.

any questions, or comments can also be directed to: connieandraquel@gmail.com

:)

2012

Now that the holidays are over, Raquel and I can seriously start working on our book. In my mind, I already have the first chapter written. I feel I need to rationalize why I moved school districts. One one hand, the district that we were in was falling apart...I had to move. My apartment building sucked. I was so tired of smelling weed every day in the hallways, I wanted a better city to live in... But boy, did it come at a cost. In a lot of ways I still feel guilty. Because I wanted a better life for my girls, we are now in the middle of a unimaginable nightmare. Stephanie is excelling in the new school district, she is doing so well.. Raquel is still struggling. I know that the actions of others shouldnt make me feel guilty, but if we stayed in the district we were in my kids were going to fall behind..... I am in the same district as last year, but different city... I love the city that we are in right now. I hope to buy a house here. Raquel is at a different middle school. Stephanie is at a great elementary school. Why couldnt we end up here first.. Maybe then none of this would have happened. This is what I am wrestling with. Guilt. I realize that this isnt my fault, but I still feel that if something would be different my little girl would not be suffering. She wouldnt be angry, hurting and dealing with so much. It is not fair. This adventure is going to be a hard one I am sure. There will be a lot of tears as we relive a horrible memory. But in a way, I think that it will help us heal.


Please, share this blog with your friends. Lets get the word out...
Happy 2012- The year of the dragon, and the year Raquel and I heal.