Indianapolis, IN Arsenal Technical High School student Darnell "Dynasty" Young faces expulsion for firing a stun gun into the air to frighten off bullies. Young, 17, who obtained the gun from his mother, says that since starting at Arsenal Tech last fall he has been the subject of homophobic slurs. Students have thrown rocks and bottles at him. He was the subject of rumor and sexual innuendo. Students followed him off the bus to beat him up.
The effect this harassment had on Young was dramatic, though sadly they are not all that uncommon for victims of bullying.
He said he thought about committing suicide. His grades already had slipped from A's and B's to F's, and Grimes said he was losing weight. His problems at school seeped into his home life. He said the stress at school did not go away when he got home, so he would fight with his mother and siblings. He moved in with a friend and started missing school.
The Indianapolis Public School System has a policy in place to protect students from the deleterious effects of bullying.
Indianapolis Public Schools' bullying policy says administrators have to tell students that bullying "will not be tolerated." The policy also says administrators are responsible for investigating "complaints, allegations or rumors of bullying
With this in mind, Darnell's mother, Chelisa Grimes, might have felt that she would have an ally in Tech principal Larry Yarrell. Grimes says she complained about instances of bullying to Yarrell more than ten times. Only once did the school conduct and investigation of Grimes' complaints that actually resulted in a student being punished for bullying. Instead, say Grimes and Young, Yarrell seemed to blame Darnell himself for the bullying actions of the other students, suggesting that Darnell was too "flamboyant" for his own good.
In fact, Yarrell admits in his own words that he advised Darnell:
"If you wear female apparel, then kids are kids and they're going to say whatever it is that they want to say," Yarrell said. "Because you want to be different and because you choose to wear female apparel, it may happen. In the idealistic society, it shouldn't matter. People should be able to wear what they want to wear."
Somehow, Ms. Grimes got the impression that the school was not going to protect her son against violence. And so she decided to arm protect him herself, by arming him with a stun gun. Grimes claims that she chose the stun gun because it was less dangerous to others than a taser (it doesn't have the barbs that shoot off and embed into a persons flesh), but makes a loud noise when fired in the air. She and Darnell hoped it would be sufficient to frighten off would-be attackers, without actually hurting them. On April 16, Young says he was surrounded by a group of students who were threatening to beat him up, so he pulled out his stun gun, aimed it in the air and fired. It had the desired effect. The students backed off and Young went to his next class, where, minutes later, school police officers found him, cuffed him and confiscated the stun gun. IPS has a zero tolerance policy regarding students carrying weapons on campus.
Young was sent home with what he described as, "suspension, up to and including expulsion". An expulsion hearing was held Wednesday, May 2, before an independent arbitrator. The school is recommending expulsion. The arbitrator is expected to reach a decision in the next couple of days. If Young is expelled, he can appeal the decision to the school board and the judicial system.
The school could also refer Young's case to the prosecutor. It is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to possess a stun gun in the state of Indiana. Yarrell said the school doesn't plan to refer the case for prosecution.
One might also wonder if referring this case to the prosecutors office for action might not just serve to point out even more clearly just how one-sided Mr. Yarrell's efforts when it comes to fostering a safe learning environment for all students at Tech. Surely one would ask how many bullies he has referred for prosecution.
Indiana law defines bullying as words or actions that are intended "to harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate or harm," so students do not have to be physically hurt to claim that they were bullied.
In his defense, Yarrell claims that Young often could not identify his bullies by name, and could only give locations where the bullying was most often taking place. The principal said this was unhelpful because so many students congregated in those places, and no one seemed willing to come forward as a witness on Young's behalf.
Now, obviously our court system cannot contend with every case of bullying that occurs. Precious little else would get done. I'm not even sure that criminalizing bullying (except in the most sever cases) is the way to go. But the mere suggestion that a victim could be pushed to the point where he feels that he is either looking at suicide or standing up for himself, because the adults who are supposed to protect him are unable or unwilling to do so should be criminalized for choosing to stand up for himself, well, that turns the idea of justice on its head!
Principal Yarrell is right when he says that stun guns are against the rules and Young broke the rule. And I don't think that any responsible parent should arm their child and send them to school (or anywhere else). But Yarrell broke something much more important. He broke the sacred trust he holds with his community that their children - all of their children - will be safe while entrusted into his care; that he will provide a safe environment in which they will learn and grow into young adults we can all be proud of. As a member of his community, I am deeply disturbed and disappointed.
Wed May 09, 2012 at 7:14 AM PT: Darnell 'Dynasty' Young learned late Monday evening that IPS has decided to expel him until next January, cutting short his Junior year and eliminating the first half of his Senior year. When asked to comment, IPS spokeswoman Mary Louise Bewley said:
"While the district does not condone bullying, it also does not allow weapons to be brought on our school campuses for any reason," Bewley said. "Students who violate this rule will be held accountable."
Young has several options going forward. He could try to enroll at a charter or private school. However, it is unlikely he would be successful because of the expulsion. He could appeal IPS' decision to the IPS school board and the Courts. Young is considering obtaining his GED and go to college. His mother said they are still weighing their options.
Either way, Darnell Young has garnered some support in some unlikely and surprising places. IPS school board member, Samantha Adair-White, has called for an independent investigation into the alleged bullying surrounding Young's case. She said that if Young was expelled, the Tech staff members who failed to protect him should lose their jobs. Superintendent Eugene White denied her request for an investigation, but she could still get one if the majority of the seven member board approves it.
Some of the teen's local supporters are organizing a rally before the IPS Board's meeting next Tuesday (May 15th; 7:00PM) to raise awareness about bullying. Over 60 people have already pledged to attend so far on the event's Facebook page.