Instances of bullying have been reported in the Northern Lehigh School District.

Jason Fahringer described the incidents involving his 8-year-old son at Monday’s school board meeting.

“We’ve had multiple incidents on his bus and in the classroom,” Fahringer said. “The first incident was on the bus where a kid (made) homophobic and racist slurs at him that I will not repeat in this building.”

He said his son’s accounting of events was backed up by friends, the bus driver and the principal.

The offending child was given an assigned seat on the bus.

“About a week later, the same child, again unprovoked, left his assigned seat, walked to the back of the bus where my son was and told him that when he got off the bus that day, he was going to punch him in the face. That kid did exactly what he said he was going to do,” Fahringer said.

“The bus stopped, he walked to the back and struck my son in the face two times.”

Fahringer said his son did nothing wrong.

“Once (his son) was back at school after a very long corona quarantine, the same kid, along with a few other kids in (his son’s) class in the classroom this time, decided to call him gay and say that he likes boys. That day on his way home from the bus, the same kid that we’ve now had three incidents with, his sister called my son gay on the bus. Now, that’s four times in a very short school year.”

Fahringer commended the principal, though he said the name-calling continued in class.

“He is aware that if he were to defend himself, he would be in just as much trouble as all the other kids that are bullying him. I personally find that policy to be incredibly dangerous.

“You would collectively have me teach my child that he is not allowed to defend himself from being physically and verbally assaulted, and I take issue with that. Your policy in regards to bullying in my very humble opinion, has been an abject failure.

“You allowed the same kid to sit on the same bus and in the same class as my son after multiple incidents. How do you think that must feel for him at 8 years old to know that a kid who has insulted him, punched him in the face, is allowed to sit in the same room?” Fahringer asked.

“You’re normalizing that behavior, all the while my kid who’s done nothing wrong has to sit there and take it. Think about that for a minute please, what would you tell your own children if they were in this situation, and what would you do as parents.

He said his wife tries to teach the golden rule. “It’s a very simple thing to understand. And thankfully my son’s been listening, but there comes a point where enough is enough and I am far past that point.”

Fahringer said the board’s policy creates a victim. “I am not OK raising a victim. My son is intelligent beyond his years, emotionally and scholastically. They are very formative years for him, and I do not think that the messages being sent by the district’s policies are good for him now, or in the long run.”

Fahringer’s wife, Tamara, had another individual speak on her behalf due to a vocal cord issue, and shared some statistics on bullying.

She said her son had attended a charter school last year, and is considering returning for multiple reasons.

“Unfortunately, our son has had an unwelcoming experience in the short time he has been at Slatington Elementary,” Tamara said. “Racial epithets and homophobic slurs are unacceptable. All of these incidents were unprovoked as proven by the school investigation.”

She asked if the audio and video is currently working on all transportation vehicles.

“From the board, we assume that we do have that in place,” Board President Gary Fedorcha said. “If it is not in place, it is certainly not anything that the board is aware of.”

Tamara Fahringer then asked who is responsible to ensure the safety and quality of the video footage and the quality on the transportation.

“Cameras are provided, monitored and serviced in conjunction between Brandywine Transportation Co. and the Northern Lehigh School District,” Superintendent Matthew J. Link said. “That is a joint effort.”

Tamara Fahringer asked if the district has an anti-bullying program in place.

“I can assure you that all schools have positive behavior intervention and support programs actively being implemented at each building,” Link said. “And I think it would be appropriate if administration gave a presentation on anti-bullying practices within Northern Lehigh School District that are currently in place.”