It鈥檚 been more than a month since Stacey Koehler has been to her high school.

The last day she attended Chilliwack secondary, Stacey says she was bullied so badly that she ended up in the emergency room with symptoms of a concussion. But nobody at the school is willing to admit she was bullied, even hit, by other students. Administration told Stacey and her grandma, Elizabeth Koehler, that they would investigate the incident but so far they鈥檝e not heard anything back.

鈥淚鈥檓 still kinda mad about it,鈥� Stacey told the Chilliwack Progress at her kitchen table this week. 鈥淭hey are trying to say I self-inflicted a concussion. The hospital told us that that is medically impossible.鈥�

Stacey, a Grade 11 student, insists she was punched in the head by a classmate while she sat at a computer. The school says she hit herself repeatedly with a badminton racket.

There has been no face-to-face meeting between Stacey and the student she says hit her. And the violence didn鈥檛 come out of the blue, Stacey says. It started somewhat back at her middle school, A.D. Rundle.

And then, when Stacey started high school, she was almost immediately given some very bad news.

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She has a tumour in a large part of her brain, and has a cancer diagnosis of anaplastic astrocytoma. It鈥檚 inoperable and her life expectancy is short, but she did go through chemotherapy and radiation last year.

She lost her hair, but kept going to school as often as she could. All of her recent scans show that the tumour is at bay for now.

Still, the young cancer survivor was teased and bullied for her looks. She was teased for having seizures at school.

鈥淭hey used to pick on me because I was bald,鈥� she said, with tears in her eyes. 鈥淭here have been some comments about what I weigh, or what I鈥檓 wearing. They call me names, but I鈥檓 not allowed to repeat those names.鈥�

The usual response from teachers, she says, is to readjust the classroom and move people around. But that doesn鈥檛 help in the hallways, or in classes without desks, such as PE.

鈥淭hey have tried to force me to forgive them,鈥� Stacey explained. But she wants to see those who have bullied her held accountable for their actions.

More than that, she doesn鈥檛 want it to happen again. And because the school won鈥檛 deal with it, she said, she鈥檚 staying home.

鈥淚 want to be at school,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 miss some of my friends. I want to learn.鈥�

Her grandma refuses to let her go anyway.

鈥淪he got really sick, she was vomiting,鈥� her grandma said.

鈥淭hey took a CT scan, hooked her up to an IV, and said it was a concussion. I will not send her back. This time it鈥檚 a concussion, next time they could be pulling her out on a stretcher. This has been going on for quite a while.鈥�

With only a few weeks of class time left in the school year, it鈥檚 not looking likely that Stacey will get her credits from this semester. They are considering other options for her to catch up, and went to the Education Centre to see if she could enrol there. But that requires a referral, and that hasn鈥檛 come yet.

But according to the Chilliwack School District鈥檚 behaviour policies for students, it isn鈥檛 Stacey who should be sitting at home, or looking for new schooling options.

In situations like Stacey鈥檚, the student who misbehaved should be referred to the District Behaviour Committee. From there, options for punishment and restorative justice include suspension, offers of counselling, the alternate suspension program at the YMCA, referral to outside agencies, an alternative education setting inside or outside the school district, expulsion for students older than age 16, or referral to student services.

The School District can鈥檛 speak to individual cases or on students鈥� private information to confirm or deny Stacey鈥檚 story. But the family鈥檚 next move is a telling one. They are leaving town and moving to Alberta over the summer, for a fresh start.

GET CONNECTED:

Kids Help Phone: Call 1-800-668-6868, text CONNECT to 686868, or live chat online at .

Emergency: 911 or 1-877-820-7444 for the Fraser Health Crisis Line, or 1-800-784-2433.

Youth in BC Distress Line: 24-hour distress line staffed by counsellors and trained volunteers, 1-866-661-3311.

Mental Health Support: 310-6789 for emotional support, information and resources specific to mental health

jpeters@theprogress.com
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