As Massachusetts teens are being charged with the death of a 15-year-old girl who killed herself after relentless bullying at school, one local boy’s father is denouncing a local school’s lax response to what he calls a bullying situation.

Parents of 10-year-old Quinn Waldberg, a former student at Meadows Arts and Technology Elementary School (MATES), recently pulled their child from the charter school, saying their concerns about bullying on the campus went ignored.

MATES was established by parents and teachers who were disappointed in Conejo Valley Unified School District Board of Education’s decision to close Meadows Elementary School.

MATES opened its doors in September 2009.

In November, Quinn’s parents were told he started a fight with a fellow fourth-grader. Quinn said he was defending himself, and both boys were punished.

But Quinn’s father, Ross Waldberg, said it was just the first of several altercations, including an incident where the other boy allegedly hit Quinn during a kickball game and another in which he put Quinn in a headlock in front of the principal at the Reagan Library.

At a meeting with then-principal Julie Antilla-Garza, Waldberg said, she “basically just called the other boy a klutz.”

“It was always, ‘Oh, it was just an accident,’” Waldberg said. “All these excuses kept arising. You have to be able to discipline these kids, not just give them yard duty to pick up leaves. You can’t just sweep bullying away.

“She told me if I didn’t like it here, I could leave.”

Taking the next steps

Waldberg eventually called the police to learn his options and went to visit with Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Stanley Mantooth. MATES, a charter school, isn’t in CVUSD; it was approved by the Ventura County Office of Education.

“I met with (Mantooth), and he flat out said he had no jurisdiction to hire or fire anyone at that school,” Waldberg said. “He implied that if it was under his watch, she’d be gone, and told me he’d had a heated 20-minute conversation with Garza.”

Mantooth acknowledged meeting with Waldberg, who, he said, showed up unannounced and visibly upset.

“I took him right in,” Mantooth said. “We don’t have jurisdiction, but we don’t like to see even a hint of children being bullied.”

Although Mantooth confirmed referring Waldberg back to Antilla-Garza and to the MATES board, he made it clear that his conversation with the principal was “at no time heated.”

“She said she was aware of the situation, and she did tell a little different story,” Mantooth said. “She said they had worked very hard to keep the children separated and said it wasn’t a pattern with the school.”

Waldberg said Antilla-Garza e-mailed him asking for suggestions on how to resolve the issue. “I didn’t say expel the kid or get rid of him,” Waldberg said. “I said shadow the boy and make sure he’s not bothering my kid.”

After spring break, when the shadowing was to begin, Waldberg said he was shocked to find out that Quinn was the one being shadowed.

“She told me Quinn had VIP status,” Waldberg said. “‘He has his own professional bodyguard in the way of Britney Spears.’ I said, ‘Are you crazy?’”

‘There is no bullying going on’

Mantooth had also recommended Waldberg make a complaint with the school’s board of directors, headed up by Marlo Hartsuyker. Hartsuyker said the board never received an official complaint, and she wished Waldberg had taken that step.

“We never met on this as a school board, and no one has ever come to me and given me a statement of facts on this incident,” Hartsuyker said. “There’s a formal process for a parent who’s having a problem and can’t resolve it with the principal. We haven’t received any complaints.”

Hartsuyker did acknowledge that Waldberg approached her at another time but stressed it was never in a formal setting.

“We are totally committed at MATES to zero tolerance of bullying, for any reason, of any type,” Hartsuyker said.

“There is no bullying of any type going on. We are committed to protecting our students, and it’s a high priority to create a safe and equitable school,” she said.

The MATES student/parent handbook uses similar language and also defines bullying as “systematically and chronologically inflicting physical hurt or psychological distress” that includes unwanted teasing, threatening, intimidation, physical violence, public humiliation and social exclusion.

Students are advised to report bullying to the principal, who will then “take disciplinary actions accordingly.”

Frustration takes over

When Waldberg called the sheriff’s department, a deputy told him to file a report if his child was hurt. He consulted attorneys that were too expensive and started taking his child to a therapist. He called the district attorney’s office but had no luck.

“I called the D.A., and we spent 40 minutes talking about it,” Waldberg said. “I wanted to know what my rights were. He flat out told me that we had none. ‘Unless your son is really hurt or dead— then we can finally step in.’ That’s what he told me.

“It’s appalling to me that this can happen in this day and age. Why can’t we learn from what’s going on in Massachusetts and relate it to what’s going on here?”

Phoebe Prince, a high school student in South Hadley, Mass., killed herself earlier this year after weeks of bullying from classmates.

Almost 30 percent of youths in the United States (more than 5.7 million) are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying or both, according to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center.

The numbers have surged recently, with more than 282,000 students physically attacked each month. This doesn’t take into account the fact that most incidents go unreported.

Principal vacates post

Principal Antilla-Garza didn’t return phone calls to confirm what disciplinary actions were taken or to comment on how bullying or fighting among students is handled.

As of two weeks ago, she was no longer at the school, but MATES board president Hartsuyker emphasized that her departure had nothing to do with a bullying incident.

Hartsuyker wouldn’t say whether Antilla-Garza was fired or quit.

Mantooth said he didn’t know what happened.

“Of course the answer could be virtually anything. I’d suspect that if a principal is let go, barring any very serious incident, it’s usually a difference of opinion in leadership style,” he said.

Brenda Priske, a MATES teacher with an administration credential, is filling in as interim principal. Hartsuyker said the board is conducting a search for a new executive director for the school.

MATES hired Antilla-Garza shortly after she was asked to step down from her position as principal at Las Posas Elementary School in Camarillo one month before the 2008-09 school year was finished.

Antilla-Garza wasn’t officially fired by Pleasant Valley School District; she was told she’d be allowed to come back as a teacher, which would have meant a pay cut of up to $40,000. Luis Villegas, superintendent of Pleasant Valley School District, never explained the circumstances of her leaving.

New school, new rules

Waldberg pulled Quinn from MATES and enrolled him at Wildwood last month. He said he’s pleased with the system back at CVUSD, where he feels there’s a clearer process.

“(Wildwood principal) Mr. Hadin told me that after one incident they talk to the boys and lay down the law,” Waldberg said. “The second time they talk with the parents; the third time they’re suspended, and the fourth time they’re gone—expelled.”

Janet Cosaro is assistant superintendent of schools, instructional services, at CVUSD.

“That would be pretty typical at all our schools, depending on the severity,” Cosaro said. “As far as what’s appropriate, what’s not appropriate, the school sets the tone. . . . It’s in our handbook, but no one reads policies. You have to have practical ways of handling it.”

While Hartsuyker denied there’s been any bullying at MATES, Cosaro acknowledged they’ve had to address the issue in CVUSD schools.

“It’s a problem; I won’t say it’s not,” Cosaro said. “It’s always difficult. But there’s progressive discipline. If it’s absolutely not tolerated, that behavior will drop off,” she said.

CVUSD recently welcomed Dr. Justin Patchin, an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. Patchin is co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center.

He spoke to parents groups and later with teachers to help them write anti-bullying strategies into their middle school curriculum.