Dillsburg, Pa. - It's National Bully Awareness Week, designed to draw attention to bullying and ways to prevent it.

Amanda Mitchell of Dillsburg says she was bullied at school for years. By sixth grade, things got ugly - and her parents took action.

Eighteen-year-old Amanda feels safe at home with her horse and family, but she was supposed to feel safe at school, too. She says she never did.

"It was always, 'Ignore them, they'll go away,'" she said. "Or, my dad even suggested they might like me, and I said to him, 'How can they like me when they insult me?'"

Starting in first grade, Amanda says she was bullied at school - picked on and called names because of the way she looked. In sixth grade, mom noticed how much her daughter was suffering.

"In sixth grade, we noticed a big change," said Leissa Mitchell, Amanda's mother. "Before bed every night, she would cry and say 'I don't want to go to school in the morning.'"

Things came to a head when another student called Amanda a derogatory name.

"We finally found out exactly what was going on when she said, 'He called me that name,'" said Leissa.

Her parents complained and the student was suspended. But Amanda had had enough. She wanted to escape what was causing her so much pain.

"I had been taught you don't hit people, you're supposed to be nice," Amanda said. "You're supposed to ignore these bullies - you're supposed to get away from them. Like that ever works, because you're stuck with these people all day."

Amanda no longer wanted to be stuck. After sixth grade, she made a decision.

Next Monday, abc27 will tell you what Amanda asked her parents, and why they thought it was best for their daughter.

 

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