They Teach The Children Well

It all started somewhat innocently, as most things do.

Back in 2009, in Valders, Wisconsin, high school student, Gregg Udulutch came out as a gay man during his junior year at Valders High School. It didn't seem as though anyone cared, one way or another, and that school year ended as innocently as it had begun.

But, shortly after returning to school his senior year, the taunts began. Two freshman girls began harassing him the first week of school, Udulutch said, passing him in the hallway, saying, "Oh, look, there goes the fag."

But Gregg Udulutch took the high road. He asked the girls to stop, and, when they didn't, reported the incident to school officials; even some of Gregg's friends spoke to the girls and asked that they stop the name-calling. But it didn't. The girls thought him a "wimp" for reporting the incidents, and their taunting became more aggressive.

Udulutch and his friends then reported the harassment to assistant Principal Julie Laabs, who told them an investigation would be started. As the harassment continued, Gregg continued reporting it to Laabs, and subsequently to Principal Ellen Bartling.

"They always said, 'OK, we'll start an investigation,'" he said.

But Gregg Udulutch believes that Valders High School administrators would simply ask the girls to stop, telling them their comments were rude, and sending them back to class without "detentions or suspensions or anything along that line."

Gregg had more success with reporting the harassment to Tracie Wurm, the school psychologist; Wurm seemed "a lot more concerned about it" and immediately put the girls on probation, and the harassment stopped for a week or two.

All well and good. Problem solved.

Then came the night of April 16, when Gregg, who lives with his grandparents, was awakened by his cell phone ringing. "We're going to kill you," the female voice told him, "We're going to find you, we're going to cut you, we're going to kill you."

Unshaken, Gregg told the caller she must have the wrong number, but she called again and repeated the threat, this time using his name.

Gregg Udulutch reported the call to the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department, telling them that three calls were made, threatening him, but that he didn't believe it was one of the girls who had been harassing him. He does, however, think the caller is connected to the girls because she said something to the effect of: "Do you think you're going to get away with talking about my girls?"

Gregg, who said he could hear a truck running in the background while on the phone, told a deputy that he saw a car and truck repeatedly drive past his grandparents' house, making U-turns in the road. The car left, but the truck pulled into the driveway, parking in a dark area and staying for about five minutes.

According to the report, Gregg made the call at about 2:15 a.m. and said the incident had occurred at about 11 p.m. A deputy called him back, took his information, and said he would talk to the Valders Police Department, and Gregg Udulutch expected the deputy to call again. No one did. Sheriff Rob Hermann said deputies don't have time to call back after investigating every complaint.

Even death threats don't warrant a follow-up phone call.

On Monday morning, Gregg Udulutch went to the school office and told Principal Bartling the harassment had escalated and he didn't feel comfortable at the school any longer. Bartling again said she would investigate, and sent him back to class. Later in the day, Gregg Udulutch was called back to Bartling's office where he found police Chief William Riesterer waiting. Gregg Udulutch finally felt someone would listen to him.

But Riesterer began yelling at Gregg, telling him that the homes of the girls who had been harassing him had been toilet-papered. Riesterer asked whether Udulutch knew who had done it, and when Gregg said No, Riesterer accused him of lying.

According to Gregg Udulutch, Chief Riesterer told him the harassment was his fault because his friends confronted the girls and that it's all normal high school stuff and he needs to grow up and get over it. Riesterer then put the threatening phone calls Udulutch received in the same category as the toilet-papering.

Completely aware, now, that the school and law enforcement wouldn't help, Gregg took his story to the media. It was only after telling his story to local journalists that Superintendent of Schools, Deb Hunt got involved.

Hunt said she had been aware of the harassment at the school but didn't know exact details. Her impression was that the high school administrators had been dealing with the situation, and she guaranteed that school officials "acted quickly and appropriately with each (complaint)" and "were following the rules as set forth."

But later, when contacted by the media, Hunt revealed that she actually had no knowledge of the steps taken but trusted her administrators to have acted appropriately.
"There could be consequences for particular students," Hunt said.

Trusted her administrators? Could be consequences?

You know, we often hear the storied of students being bullied for their perceived differences, be it hair color, skin color, weight, gender, or sexual orientation, but in this case the bullying went beyond that of one student, or several students, toward another.

In my mind, Gregg Udulutch was bullied not only by a pair of ignorant girls who like to name call, but he was bullied by a source connected to the girls. And he was bullied by school officials, and district administrators, who didn't take him complaints seriously, and didn't fully investigate. The principal of his school bullied him by doing little or nothing to make certain that a student left in her charge during the course of a school day, could experience an harassment-free day.

And Gregg was harassed by local police, who pushed aside his complaints and worries over the phone threats, without bothering to follow up. Police Chief William Riesterer was, perhaps, the biggest bully of all when he suggested that someone saying to you that they wanted to "cut you up" and "kill you" was something on the same level as throwing a few rolls of Charmin into the trees of someone's house.

How can we ever expect children to stop bullying children, when adults give such a fine example of their own bullying? It sickens me that any student, gay, straight, black, brown, white, male, female, cannot get a simple education without fearing for their safety.

What example are we setting?