Group tackles students’ fear of speaking out

Danette Goulet

CORONA DEL MAR -- High school parents are hoping to crack the “code

of silence in the schoolyard” that they believe kept students from coming

forward when a 13-year-old boy was choked by a classmate this spring.

The parents, whose children were witnesses to the attack of an

eighth-grade boy over a homework pass, have started a Safe Schools

Partnership Program.

The group held its first meeting this week to discuss what programs

could be brought to the middle school students at Corona del Mar High

School to help them deal with social pressures and hopefully put an end

to the bullying problems that have plagued the school.

“You don’t hear a lot about what’s going on,” said parent Cyndie

Borcoman, who began the partnership. “When this bullying is going on

[students] don’t feel comfortable coming forward.”

In May, students in a morning gym class had just returned after

running a lap when one student grabbed another by the throat, demanding

that the student turn over a free homework pass, Principal Don Martin

said at the time of the incident.

The student who was choked lost consciousness, fell and hit his head,

and ended up in Hoag Hospital.

It was not until the day after the attack that a few students in the

gym class finally came forward with the truth about what had happened.

But even then, there were those who denied what happened, Borcoman

said.

“The reason why I got involved was there was a denial that it even

happened,” Borcoman said. “It was obvious talking to the kids who had

witnessed it that it did occur. I thought that it’s really important to

talk to students at this age.”

Through the partnership program, Borcoman hopes to bring in new

character education programs that will help students better deal with

these types of peer pressure situations.

At the first meeting, Martin filled in parents and community members

on what programs already exist in the school, before offering the

additional services of outside companies.

“We identified areas of concern and talked about potential solutions,”

Martin said.

Several groups who have character education programs to offer, such as

the Newport Beach Police Department and the Orange County Human Relations

Commission and Character Counts, made presentations at the meeting.

Additional programs will be presented at the next meeting Aug. 7

before any decisions are made, Martin said.

“It was good. It was kind of a meeting of the minds,” said school

board president Dana Black. “People, you could tell, were bursting with

questions -- parents who care about the culture of the school.”

FYI

Who: Corona del Mar Safe Schools Partnership Program

When: 7:15 p.m. Aug. 7

Where: Oasis Senior Center, 5th and Marguerite, Corona del Mar