Since classes began in the fall, 16-year-old Lindsay Hyde has complained to her Mississauga high school about being bullied by a pack of mean girls.Their reign of terror began with taunts about her nice clothes -- outfits she'd bought herself after long hours at her part-time job. Then it was derogatory names because she dared to excel at their vocational school and shunned drugs and alcohol.
They called her a slut; they spread rumours about her at school. They went on Facebook and MSN and told her friends to ditch her.
Through it all, Lindsay and her mom say West Credit Secondary School did little, leaving her to fend for herself -- until it was too late.
Unchecked, the bullies became more brazen: They started shoving her in the hallways and taunting her with threats: that they would hold her head under water in the bathroom or burn off her pretty blonde hair or "kick the living s--t" out of her.
"I can't concentrate, I'm always shaking, it's just horrible," Lindsay says softly, kneading her hands together, struggling to keep her emotions in check. "They harass me every single day."
Sitting in the living room of the home she shares with her single mom, Michelle, Lindsay is a pretty girl poised beyond her years who feels compelled to come forward with her story, even if it means risking even more intimidation.
"It should have been dealt with right away when I was first seeking help," she insists earnestly. "People just talk (about bullying) but there's no action. A lot of things I went through are happening to a lot of people and nobody's doing anything about it. I thought someone would reach out and help me but nobody did."
As a result, these girls felt bold enough to beat her up.
Last month, Lindsay was sitting at the back of a packed bus when the group began pelting her with pens. One of the bullies then took her chewed gum and stuffed it down Lindsay's shirt. Another ripped open a condom and smeared the spermicide all over Lindsay's face and her new black jacket.
Humiliated, gagging and sobbing, their victim tried to break free. But the girls weren't done.
"They threw me face first against the glass," Lindsay recalls in a small voice. "I kept calling out to the bus driver -- 'Help me, sir, help me please' -- but he didn't even stop. Nobody helped me. I go to school with all these kids on the bus and nobody helped me whatsoever."
As she fought her way to the door, crying and trembling, one of the girls ended the assault by punching Lindsay in the face.
"I got off the bus and I couldn't even walk I was crying so much," she recalls.
Now, too late, the authorities in her life are finally stepping in. The police were called and the girl who punched Lindsay has been expelled from school and banned from the premises. The others involved were suspended for a short time but are now back in class.
Carol Speers, the superintendent of education, insists West Credit has an anti-bullying program and has been very responsive to Lindsay's complaints. They set up a mediation between Lindsay and the mean girls at the end of October, offered her coping strategies, referred her for counselling in November -- which finally came through just this week -- and organized a co-op for her this semester so she can limit her time at West Credit. "It's unfortunate that Lindsay perceives the school wasn't doing anything for her. They've been supporting her as best as they can."
But there were never any consequences for any of these girls until the bus incident. And even since, little has changed.
Her hell continues. Lindsay says she's being tormented even more now for getting the bullies in trouble, and just this past Tuesday, a group of them had her cornered and backed up against a staircase railing. "I thought I was going to die," she says in a chilling monotone. "I was scared for my life."
Her worried mom has been continually petitioning the school and the board to do more to protect her daughter. "It's been a really rough year for her -- it's been horrible."
She wants her transferred to another vocational high school but the Peel school board is actually telling her that she'll have to pay Lindsay's transportation costs. As a single mom who drives a school bus for a living, she doesn't have the extra money and doesn't think she should be out of pocket when she believes it's the school that has failed her daughter.
"I just want this to end and get on with her being a kid," her mother says, with a concerned glance at Lindsay. "She wanted to quit the other day and I told her, 'If you quit, they win.' "
This terrorization has left her a shadow of the confident, happy girl she used to be. She begins her co-op tomorrow at a local mall, but she's terrified of what lies ahead.
"I could crawl up in a ball and die," Lindsay confesses, her eyes too weary for someone so young. "I'm scared to go out of my house without my family. I'm traumatized. I think they'll come up behind me with a knife or something.
"I'm just really worried and sad and scared for my life."
These are supposed to be the best years of her life....
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