Oregon Principal Says Bullied Kids "Annoy People"

An elementary school principal in Oregon is facing backlash over comments he made about bullying on his personal YouTube channel. In the six-minute video(which has been deleted from his page), Luke Zedwick said that in his role as principal at Centennial Elementary School in Scio, Oregon he found that many bullied students "are not really good friends" who "tend to annoy people." His advice for parents? Teach their kids "not to be annoying."

“So if you find your kid being a target, one thing you could do to help them, separate from the bullying, is you can help them learn not to be annoying,” Zedwick said

The video has upset many parents at the school, according to Fox 12. One parent told the news station that telling kids "it’s their fault" they get bullied is the wrong message. 

“It sends a message to them that it’s their fault and they’re not fun to hang out with,” said parent Nicole Loveberg.

Zedwick doubled down on his statement in a follow-up video(which was also removed from his channel) posted last week. He said that the bullies must be swiftly dealt with, but that there is more than one side to a conflict. 

"It is rare for conflict to be one-sided, and it isn't victim shaming to ask a child what their part is in the conflict."

He added that "just because they use the word bully doesn't mean we shouldn't ask questions."

The school district issued a statement saying that "Mr. Zedwick's comments do not reflect the district's position on bullying prevention."

The Scio School District became aware on Thursday of a personal YouTube video posted by Luke Zedwick that contained his opinions related to bullying. The Scio School District has a robust antibullying program in place to emphasize positive behavior supports to prevent bullying from occurring and to stop it if it does occur. Mr. Zedwick's comments do not reflect the district's position on bullying prevention. The Scio School District remains committed to the creation and maintenance of a safe educational environment and appreciates the community's support of these efforts.


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