It乌鸦传媒檚 been more than a month since Stacey Koehler has been to her high school.

The last day she attended Chilliwack secondary, Stacey says she was bullied so badly that she ended up in the emergency room with symptoms of a concussion. But nobody at the school is willing to admit she was bullied, even hit, by other students. Administration told Stacey and her grandma, Elizabeth Koehler, that they would investigate the incident but so far they乌鸦传媒檝e not heard anything back.

乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 still kinda mad about it,乌鸦传媒� Stacey told the Chilliwack Progress at her kitchen table this week. 乌鸦传媒淭hey are trying to say I self-inflicted a concussion. The hospital told us that that is medically impossible.乌鸦传媒�

Stacey, a Grade 11 student, insists she was punched in the head by a classmate while she sat at a computer. The school says she hit herself repeatedly with a badminton racket.

There has been no face-to-face meeting between Stacey and the student she says hit her. And the violence didn乌鸦传媒檛 come out of the blue, Stacey says. It started somewhat back at her middle school, A.D. Rundle.

And then, when Stacey started high school, she was almost immediately given some very bad news.

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She has a tumour in a large part of her brain, and has a cancer diagnosis of anaplastic astrocytoma. It乌鸦传媒檚 inoperable and her life expectancy is short, but she did go through chemotherapy and radiation last year.

She lost her hair, but kept going to school as often as she could. All of her recent scans show that the tumour is at bay for now.

Still, the young cancer survivor was teased and bullied for her looks. She was teased for having seizures at school.

乌鸦传媒淭hey used to pick on me because I was bald,乌鸦传媒� she said, with tears in her eyes. 乌鸦传媒淭here have been some comments about what I weigh, or what I乌鸦传媒檓 wearing. They call me names, but I乌鸦传媒檓 not allowed to repeat those names.乌鸦传媒�

The usual response from teachers, she says, is to readjust the classroom and move people around. But that doesn乌鸦传媒檛 help in the hallways, or in classes without desks, such as PE.

乌鸦传媒淭hey have tried to force me to forgive them,乌鸦传媒� Stacey explained. But she wants to see those who have bullied her held accountable for their actions.

More than that, she doesn乌鸦传媒檛 want it to happen again. And because the school won乌鸦传媒檛 deal with it, she said, she乌鸦传媒檚 staying home.

乌鸦传媒淚 want to be at school,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淚 miss some of my friends. I want to learn.乌鸦传媒�

Her grandma refuses to let her go anyway.

乌鸦传媒淪he got really sick, she was vomiting,乌鸦传媒� her grandma said.

乌鸦传媒淭hey took a CT scan, hooked her up to an IV, and said it was a concussion. I will not send her back. This time it乌鸦传媒檚 a concussion, next time they could be pulling her out on a stretcher. This has been going on for quite a while.乌鸦传媒�

With only a few weeks of class time left in the school year, it乌鸦传媒檚 not looking likely that Stacey will get her credits from this semester. They are considering other options for her to catch up, and went to the Education Centre to see if she could enrol there. But that requires a referral, and that hasn乌鸦传媒檛 come yet.

But according to the Chilliwack School District乌鸦传媒檚 behaviour policies for students, it isn乌鸦传媒檛 Stacey who should be sitting at home, or looking for new schooling options.

In situations like Stacey乌鸦传媒檚, the student who misbehaved should be referred to the District Behaviour Committee. From there, options for punishment and restorative justice include suspension, offers of counselling, the alternate suspension program at the YMCA, referral to outside agencies, an alternative education setting inside or outside the school district, expulsion for students older than age 16, or referral to student services.

The School District can乌鸦传媒檛 speak to individual cases or on students乌鸦传媒� private information to confirm or deny Stacey乌鸦传媒檚 story. But the family乌鸦传媒檚 next move is a telling one. They are leaving town and moving to Alberta over the summer, for a fresh start.

GET CONNECTED:

Kids Help Phone: Call 1-800-668-6868, text CONNECT to 686868, or live chat online at .

Emergency: 911 or 1-877-820-7444 for the Fraser Health Crisis Line, or 1-800-784-2433.

Youth in BC Distress Line: 24-hour distress line staffed by counsellors and trained volunteers, 1-866-661-3311.

Mental Health Support: 310-6789 for emotional support, information and resources specific to mental health

jpeters@theprogress.com
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