Mount Si High School beating raises concern over treatment of gay students
A student was badly beaten at Mount Si High School, which had been the scene of a 2008 clash over an event highlighting the harassment of gay students. The recent attack has renewed questions about the climate at the school.
Times Snohomish County reporter
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ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Peggy Johnson's son was badly beaten at Mount Si High School.
Help for bullying
State Education OmbudsmanThe Washington State Office of the Education Ombudsman provides third-party conflict resolution for families and schools to help address bullying, harassment and other problems that affect public-school students.
The office provides information, consultation and coaching over the phone. The services are free and confidential.
To contact the OEO call: 1-866-297-2597.
Safe Schools Coalition
The Safe Schools Coalition provides support and advocacy for students being harassed because of gender expression or perceived sexual orientation. Help is available to the students, families or school staff of K-12 public and private schools. The organization also provides training to schools.
To contact the Safe School coalition, e-mail:intervention@safeschoolscoalition.org. Messages will be returned within 24 hours. Or call 1-877-SAFE-SAFE. Calls are answered 24/7 by staff at the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center who forward messages to a Safe Schools Coalition intervention specialist.
Hundreds of protesters and counter-protesters clashed outside Mount Si High School in the Snoqualmie Valley in 2008 over The Day of Silence, an annual event meant to call attention to the harassment of gay students.
Now, a brutal assault in the boys' locker room is raising questions about the climate for gay students at the school and whether administrators are doing enough to respond to bullying.
The November attack was the culmination of several weeks of taunts about the perceived sexual orientation of a freshman boy, his mother said. The assault victim was another 14-year-old boy who told Snoqualmie police that he was tired of his friend being picked on.
The assault broke his eye socket, two teeth and left him with a concussion. Medical assistance wasn't called for almost an hour, and the boy continues to have problems with dizziness and concentration, according to medical records.
A 16-year-old student, who knew neither of the boys, has been charged with second-degree assault in King County Superior Court and no longer attends the high school. His family declined comment. Another student, who allegedly led the taunts and was seen talking to the assailant immediately before the attack, told police that he didn't know the assailant and hadn't told him to assault the victim.
The Seattle Times is not naming the students because they are minors.
Late Thursday afternoon, the Snoqualmie Valley School District released the report of an independent investigation into the assault and the school's response. The report concluded that administrators