Dist. 46 boss wants bullying task force

Grayslake Elementary District 46 Superintendent Ellen Correll says she wants to take a proactive approach on student bullying.

Toward that end, Correll announced at a parent forum Wednesday night that she's seeking to launch a bullying task force. Parents and up to two school board members and administrators would be on the panel.

“From a positive standpoint, how can we prevent bullying before it happens? Correll said.

One woman who spoke at Wednesday's informal session said her daughter earlier in the day was punched and kicked in the stomach by a boy at Frederick School in Grayslake, but didn't report it. Frederick serves children in fifth and sixth grades.

Correll said there are small pockets of bullying at District 46's schools. She said the district wants a zero-tolerance stance on bullying.

Some high-profile incidents have brought bullying into the spotlight across the United States.

For example, a crowd of about 500 attended a memorial service last month for Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old central California boy who hanged himself after classmates supposedly taunted him about being homosexual.

State education funding and District 46's budget were other topics that were addressed at Wednesday night's gathering.

District 46 launched the periodic forums in June 2009. Parents who pushed for the informal sessions said regular board meetings do not afford them an opportunity to raise issues and receive answers from District 46's elected officials and administrators. Suburban school board meetings typically allot time for public comment, but without any immediate feedback from officials.