A fifth grader in New Hampshire who pleaded with her school board to take action against bullying spoke exclusively to NBC10 Boston to share her story.
Delanie Marcotte, a fifth grader at Pollard Elementary School in Plaistow, said she is the victim of bullying.
“I just didn’t want it to happen anymore,” Delanie said Sunday.
After months of dreading going to school, she couldn’t take it anymore.
Delanie decided she had to do something, and said the school board meeting was a last resort. While there, she provided a heartbreaking, first-hand account of the bullying she has faced for months.
“Hi my name is Delanie. I’m here to talk about a problem that means a lot to me. Bullying… I’ve been threatened to get shot in the head by a AK-47 and buried in my backyard and many other things… I like working and studying but I just don’t like being bullied,” Marcotte said to the school board.
Her voice quivered at times as she read the letter she wrote, in which she detailed her pain.
“I wanted to let them know I was getting bullied and that I didn’t want it to happen anymore,” she told NBC10 Boston. “They kick me and they say mean things, call me names – it is not nice.”
Delanie’s dad, Todd Marcotte, said the bullying needs to be addressed.
“It is very hard to watch your child get bullied, hear about it day in and day out, and you do get very aggravated,” he said. “It’s an issue, and it’s an issue that has to be addressed.”
Todd Marcotte shared his daughter’s comments on his Facebook page. In less than 48 hours, the post was viewed more than 29,000 times and shared hundreds more.
“I’m surprised, but it is kind of nice to have all this support,” Delanie said.
The fifth grader decided to take her plea public after becoming tired of suffering in silence.
“I ask you, what are you going to do to protect me and my classmates against bullying?” Delanie asked the school board. “I’m here to stand up for every kid who gets bullied.”
Timberlane Regional School District Superintendent Earl F. Metzler told NBC10 Boston that the district stands behind all students, including Delanie.
“We will continue to encourage all students to speak up when they see, hear or experience something that makes them uncomfortable,” he said. “The same holds true for parents and community members. There are many vehicles at Timberlane to share your concerns including, but not limited to, the public comment portion of our School Board agenda.”
Metzler added that the district takes everyone’s concerns seriously, and said Delanie’s reports of bullying now have the district’s “undivided attention.”
Delanie just wants her personal suffering to end.
“I hope it all stops, and they’ll stop being rude,” she said.
