I'm sorry to hear about your niece's situation. I know there are some lousy teachers out there, and it is difficult to overcome the engrained attitude of some small-town people. You still might want to join the anti=bullying group I mentioned earlier....

This is a question regarding the school my niece goes to. My family is also near Chicago, so it really isn't an issue for us, since the kids here are more accustomed to multi-racial classrooms, living in the real world. The problem my niece has is with a teacher, if you can believe that! The other kids in the classroom don't complain, because if they can get this teacher to go off on one of his rants, they don't have to do classroom work for the rest of that period. This teacher just spews his racists and politcal views out for all the kids to absorb. And the other teachers,principal and parents just let it go with the reasoning of "oh, that's just how he is". My sister complained to the schoolboard when my niece came home in tears one day, and this teacher basically got a slap on the wrist, if that, and was told to calm it down. The next day, he came into the classroom, and told the kids, "no more racial jokes, no more talking about black people or the president, because it is upsetting one person." And as he rolled his eyes, he looks directly at my niece, singling her out. This is a small hick town, where the teacher and the principal grew up together, so I'm sure nothing will be done. It just angers me that this kind of stuff still happens on a daily basis in this day and age. And since the guy is close to retirement, the school is just sweeping it under the rug. I would love to see some sort of disciplanary action taken against him. But I doubt that will ever happen. Still, I plan on making sure everyone knows what a jerk this guy is. There is no way he would still be teaching in any community that actually lives in the year 2009.

Hi. Your post "caught my eye" because I'm also in IL, although nearer Chicago. Greatschools is a nationwide forum, not connected to any school or district. Did you get any kind of parent handbook at the start of the school year, or a link to one that might be posted online, so you can read what your district's policies are about any kind of bullying or harassment? If you feel something inappropriate is taking place, you should document the details in writing, and send a letter to the principal, outlining exactly what occurred/when/where/who was involved. Often, incidents between children seem to happen when there's a lack of adult supervision around, although I've also heard of cases where adults seem to be the ones responsible for the issues. Greatschools does have an anti-bullying group you might also like to join, at community.greatschools.net/groups/11560