Nash, Stock Disagree over School Safety, Bullying

Bullying Hurts founder Marvin Nash says some schools in Laramie County District 1 are not safe for students because of the threat of bullying, a view Superintendent Mark Stock strongly disputes. Nash says a lack of openness and inaction on anti-bullying efforts in the district means some district students are not safe from bullying. Nash says that while the district does not ignore incidents of bullying, it's efforts don't go far enough in some cases. He points to the death of Carey Junior High School student  Alex Frye in January as an example. Frye died from a gunshot wound January 3 after his father had reported him missing January 1. Frye was allegedly severely bullied at school prior to his death. Laramie County Coroner Mary Luna has scheduled an inquest for next month to determine the exact circumstances of Frye's death.Stock says he wants to know what schools in the district Nash views as unsafe, and says he's never worked with a district that did more to prevent bullying and address the problem when it does occur. He adds the district will be announcing more programs in the near future. He says  Nash's comments don't solve anything, and in some cases are becoming counter-productive. Stock says the district is seeing more and more cases of students harassing other students with false claims of bullying. Stock says he regularly visits classrooms across the district and has yet to see evidence that there is a safety issue anywhere in the district.

NOTE:) Liberty's Torch Newspaper and publishers Brad and Barbie Harrington are holding a special fundraiser for the Bullying Hurts Program and The Nash Foundation Saturday, March 31 in front of Pando Park ant the corner of 29th Street and Warren Avenue from 10AM to 4PM.