A Granite City High School student fears for her life after she's bullied and threatened on Facebook.
Christopher Markle says another student threatened his daughter by posting a picture of a gun and bullets on Facebook.
Granite City High School junior Amanda Markle says she was joking around with another student and called her ugly. She says another student then threatened her by posting a picture of a gun on a Facebook.
Markle says he called the school principal, the Granite City Police Department and the Pontoon Beach police to report the incident. He also kept his daughter home from school on Monday.
Amanda says the threatening Facebook message comes after years of bullying at school. She says kids have made fun of her since the third grade, “Calling me fat, calling me ugly, telling me I should go die.” Amanda says no one should have to go through this.
Her father took her to the hospital three times in the past few months after she told him that she wanted to take her own life because of the endless bullying. Her sadness struck a cord with her father. He says he was suicidal when he was younger because he too was badly bullied. Her dad says knowing that his daughter hurts, breaks his heart, “That’s my little girl, you can look at her. I would be devastated.”
Superintendent Jim Greenwald says the district did take this incident very seriously. Greenwald says the proper steps were taken and he says can speak with the father if he has any questions. Greenwald says he’s also considering a task force that includes students, parents and teachers to help stop bullying.
A Granite City Police officer spoke to the mother of the boy who posted the picture of the gun.
A Granite City Police officer told 5 on Your Side they are trying to determine if the student found a picture of a gun on the internet and then posted that picture in the Facebook message group. Granite City Police also say a school resource officer has been in contact with the boy and his mother.
The child is not facing any criminal charges and the school district is not commenting on whether the student was punished.
Are you or your child being bullied? Here are a few resources that can help:
