Dear editor,
I am writing in response to the article published on 3/12/25 which suggested based on anonymous sources that the school has a bullying problem, despite our 6-12 counselor saying there are very few actual bullying reports in our school. It is concerning to hear that one of our students is feeling bullied and unheard by the district. However, it seems very little effort was made to interview a cross section of students, parents, or teachers to dig into the widespread nature of such assertions. Because of that, this article has painted myself, my fellow teachers, and my administration as individuals without care or concern. It was very insulting because we go to great lengths to support all students socially and academically.
Teachers are well aware of the challenges of secondary school. It’s excruciatingly difficult to be an adolescent. Teachers are constantly coaching students about their words and actions, and we work to find solutions to student conflicts. The secondary school has a committee composed of four teachers, the counselor, and principal who meet on a weekly basis to try to develop a variety of support strategies for students struggling socially. We conduct semester surveys of the entire student body to get a pulse on the culture. Overwhelmingly our students tell us they do have friends, they do feel valued by their teachers, and they do have a trusted adult in the building they can go to with issues. Your article lacked that perspective.
Dr. Kate Eisele,
West Yellowstone, Montana
