by 
My name is Andi Tomerlin. I was born and raised here in Superior and have lived here my entire life. I attended Superior Unified School District from the ages of four to 15, and I have something to say about it: I’m angry.
SUSD preaches about no child left behind and no tolerance for bullying. Me, and many of my peers, have attended multiple mandatory presentations on bullying and the harmful effects of it. We’ve had guest speakers come in and talk about it. We have been told to go to the staff to report any bullying or mistreatment of others, and we were told it would be handled in a timely and fair manner. When exactly will SUSD start practicing what they preach?
Yes, I was bullied. I wasn’t just picked on a little bit at recess. I was completely outcasted from the rest, and any time I spoke up for myself, I would get nothing but harsh words and threats in return. It was a miserable experience, only made worse by the inattentive staff. My mom and dad put their trust in SUSD to protect me while I spent my seven and-a-half hours a day trying to get an education that was never acquired. Every time I went to the teachers, or the principal, everything was swept under the rug and my cries for help were ignored, and I was eventually forced out of SUSD and into another district.
The effects of the bullying and constant stress didn’t go away once I was at this new school, and eventually I had to be admitted to a behavioral center where I had to be under constant watch and care because of the psychological toll this had on me. I’ve had to undergo years of counseling. I would like to know why. Why was this mistreatment of me tolerated? Why was it always turned around to look like it was my fault? Why was I forced to be quiet every time I advocated for myself? Why does SUSD allow this to happen to other students?
Due to some family issues, I had to come back to SUSD. I thought this time around things would be better; I have never been so wrong in my life. I was afraid to go to school. The school board and staff promised all of us that we wouldn’t be mistreated. Each and every one of our voices would be heard. We would be cared about. Most importantly, we would be safe at school. I guess that only applied for students who played sports, had money, and were friends with/related to the people with power, whoever those people are/were. Superior only cares about students that fit the majority. You couldn’t care less about the minority students, like me.
I remember one specific incidence in 2013. A group of girls were harshly bullying me and my friends for no reason besides we were “different”. The school had been notified multiple times of this. One of the girls threw a tennis ball very hard at my friends and nearly hit one of them in the head. The ball missed her by mere inches. This very well could have caused a broken nose, black eye, or a concussion. I had enough. My temper finally got the best of me, so I walked up to the girl and cussed at her for doing what she did, then I walked to the office and called my mom.
What happened after that is a blur because my adrenaline was pumping and my emotions were very strong, but I remember the school principal at the time telling me I had no right to do what I did. I needed to notify the school of what was happening. This instance is a perfect example of how blatantly I was ignored. Perhaps I could have handled this situation in a more civilized manner, but what else am I supposed to do when my cries for help are being ignored by everyone? I was at wits end. I was tired. I was angry. I felt personally attacked. Why was it deemed OK to ignore me in my time of need, after you promised your students were always protected?
I remember walking into my first day of freshman year and nearly having a nervous breakdown. I went for three days and my mom withdrew me from school and enrolled me in online school. Online school proved to be too difficult for me because I had a lot of holes and gaps in my education, so she withdrew me and I decided to give Superior one last chance. Maybe, out of sheer luck, I’d finally have a good experience. Once again, I was wrong.
At this point, I gave up on fighting back. I gave up on trying to advocate for myself. I figured if I just flew under the radar, my experience wouldn’t be as terrible as last time. And in a way, I was right. Almost everyone ignored me because I kept to myself for the most part. That isn’t the high school experience I wanted. It’s not the experience anyone wants. I shouldn’t have to shut up and conform to everyone and be invisible to protect myself. No child should ever have to pretend to be something they are not just to protect themselves. I, or any other child, should never ever have to shut up and accept mistreatment because you won’t protect them like you said.
Because of SUSD, I had no chance at a normal childhood or adolescence. I realize you can’t force anyone to be my friend. You can’t force the sports teams to let me play. You can’t force the teachers to give me passing grades. Those things are not the things I’m angry about. I’m angry because SUSD let people call me fat, ugly, stupid, worthless, and many more ugly things everyday of my life. I’m angry because SUSD let people tell me I should go ahead and kill myself. I’m angry because SUSD let people threaten me with bodily harm. I’m angry because SUSD let this happen with no repercussions whatsoever to the people who were doing this to me. Because of SUSD, I felt I deserved all of this treatment. I felt I would never be heard. I would never matter.
School should not make kids cry themselves to sleep at night. It should not be feared. It should not make them want to hurt themselves or end their lives. It should be a place of education and safety, and SUSD is neither of those things.
Now, because of SUSD’s lack of enforcing policies and rules, I have dropped out and am currently enrolled in GED classes. I have to miss all of my high school experiences now. I won’t have many fond memories to look back on. I can’t go to formals, or prom, or FCCLA or DECA conferences. I can’t play on any teams. I can’t go to class and learn. I can’t sit with my friends at lunch. I can’t participate in anything normal teenagers take for granted, because SUSD allowed me to be mistreated to the point where I could not go to school without having anxiety attacks or worse.
Parents, you need to be involved in your children’s lives. If your child is being bullied, you need to take a stand and defend them. Advocate for them. Never take no for an answer when it comes to your child’s safety. Demand answers and solutions always and don’t stop advocating no matter how discouraged you may feel. If your child is a bully, hold them accountable. We need to stop telling the victims to “toughen up and deal with it”. Bullying has evolved into way more than a fight during recess on the playground. It’s a lot more complex, violent, sexual, and personal than it used to be.
I am not infallible. I have been a bully before. Nobody is immune to bullying or being bullied, but as a community we can help fix this issue. We can speak out for the safety of our children. We can put our foot down when we feel we our children are being treated unjustly. We have to change this before more children go through something similar to what I went through, and what many others have gone through.
Education about bullying and treating others starts at home, but it is also the responsibility of our school to protect our students. We need to start holding them accountable for their failures instead of pretending like this issue doesn’t exist. I won’t keep quiet about this any longer. I will take a stand. I will speak out, and I will not be intimidated any longer.
Sincerely,
/s/ Andi Tomerlin
There are news or informational items frequently written by staff or submitted to the Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner, Superior Sun, Pinal Nugget or Oracle Towne Crier for inclusion in our print or digital products. These items are not credited with an author.
by by