Barrington Middle School
The two girls — both seventh-graders at the middle school — face a variety of charges including kidnapping and felony assault after they allegedly lured a 15-year-old girl into an unsupervised home on Wednesday afternoon, April 8, and attacked her.
Some parents of local students have called and emailed middle school administrators and officials at the district’s central office with their complaints, questioning why the alleged bullies have been allowed back in school. Other parents have turned to the internet to share their feelings.
“Why BMS (Barrington Middle School) has not already expelled them indefinitely blows my mind,” wrote one local woman in a Facebook comment.
“They should not be allowed back in school…” wrote another woman.
“They need to be expelled and held criminally responsible for their actions,” another woman posted on Facebook.
Barrington Superintendent of Schools Michael Messore said officials conferred with legal counsel regarding this situation, and have also worked closely with local law enforcement.
Mr. Messore said school officials quickly address cases of bullying that take place inside the schools or carry over into the school buildings. He added that school officials are also willing to help with cases of bullying that occur outside of school.
The course of action is not as clear when it comes to cases of bullying that take place outside of the school environment and involve students at two different schools.
“If a judge has decided that they (the 12-year-olds) can be released … we’re a public school system,” he said, adding that counseling is made available through the school department for students facing this type of a situation.
The Barrington Middle School student handbook lists a section on bullying that states, in part, “We believe that there should be inevitable, predictable and escalating consequences for acts of harassment, intimidation or bullying.”
The handbook does not include potential punishments, but references the statewide bullying policy which lists a series of disciplinary actions, ranging from warnings to detention to loss of privileges and suspension. It is unclear whether the district has levied any punishment against the two 12-year-olds.
Mr. Messore said the district works hard to warn students about the dangers of bullying. He said Barrington Public Schools conduct a series of programs for students that address bullying at the elementary, middle school and high school level. The district also reinforces positive behavior among students and teaches it as part of the health education curriculum.
“We also discuss it at town meetings (at the schools),” he said, also referencing the PBIS (Positive Behavior In School) system.
Once arraigned and released, the 12-year-old girls were reportedly placed under the supervision of their parents. They are wearing ankle monitoring devices.
The girls are scheduled to attend a Rhode Island Family Court hearing on May 7.