Whitney Point Mom Wants School Officials to Act Against Racism

The mother of a 12-year-old boy says Whitney Point school district administrators have not done enough to deal with the racially-charged bullying her son is experiencing.

Megan Ballard says she grew up in the northern Broome County village. She moved back to Whitney Point after serving in the United States Air Force for 14 years.

Ballard told WNBF News her biracial son is in seventh grade at Tioughnioga Riverside Academy. She said her son learned about all different cultures during the time she served in the military.

Ballard her son repeatedly has been bullied since he started school in Whitney Point. She said he frequently has been called the N-word and other offensive names.

At times, she said, he was threatened that he would wind up in the hospital or be killed.

Ballard became emotional during a live radio interview as she related how her son had been beaten up in a fight. She said "the school did not really help me."

She said she wants school administrators and people in the Whitney Point community to "start educating their kids" so they know this type of behavior is not acceptable.

Ballard said there should be more disciplinary action taken when students engage in bullying or racist behavior.

She expressed her concerns in an online post, noting "these bullying issues will follow these victims for the rest of their lives."

While students may be written up for violating school policies, Ballard said there's no educational component in Whitney Point to help teach them why this type of behavior is wrong.

Ballard said after she posted her message, she's heard from parents who've told her who "are scared to come forward because the school hasn't done anything."

She said school superintendent Jo-Ann Sexton reached out to her after she wrote about the matter on Facebook. Ballard said the superintendent "apologized for not doing more about" the situation.

Sexton did not return phone calls from WNBF News Friday or Monday.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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Source: Whitney Point Mom Wants School Officials to Act Against Racism