Anne and Josh Petersen tolerated the crackdown on their son's physical bullying of others. They took the high road and left their high-priced lawyer out of it when Ethan, 9, was suspended for torturing a younger student in the teacher's lounge for two hours during a school assembly on peacemaking.
But when the strict no-bullying policy meant indoor recess for their eight year-old daughter after verbal putdowns and targeted exclusions of other girls, they decided they simply had to stand up for agressive children's well-being.
"Without whisper campaigns and the occasional verbal shred of another girl's fashion choices," they pleaded at a March 7 PTA meeting,"how are these children ever going to bond with friends?" asked Leslie Petersen, an esteemed member of the DAR, Junior League, and a licensed vendor of scented candles.
Principal Linda Morales had no comment, although she did whisper to some teachers while glaring pointedly at Petersen several times during the meeting.
