The following letter was received by The Post on January 28, 2017:

Have hope. My daughter is an only child, a freshman at NPHS, soon to be 15. My daughter had been picked on as a little 2nd grader in grade school due to her curly hair, clumsiness, and pension for rock t-shirts and ripped jeans. She just wasn’t into pink frilly little girl dresses. She stood up for herself and walked away often, but I also received phone calls from the school about a few playground verbal lashings and even a punch or two. The teasing stopped. We are blessed that she is strong. Now fast forward to middle school: I’m getting calls from the school because shes reducing kids to tears. Instantly I’m concerned because my kid is a bully!!!! I ask her what the heck, and her side is a bit different. We called a meeting at the school and ask the other kids and their parents to be there. It became apparent that my daughter was defending another girl from being horribly teased by the popular boy and reduced him to tears in the hall with a scathing lecture on being a ‘d##k’. I was proud. The school was embarrassed. The other parents were shocked and embarrassed. Her standing up for others knew no bounds and became something she was known for. She even stood up to a teacher who once asked another student if they were stupid. We were concerned for High School. So many faces and people she didn’t know, wanting to be a typical teen, possibly of peer pressure, and teen bullying is a whole new level. She’s been doing good, grades good, new friends. New people to help, new people to stand up to, and new opportunities to choose the right and do the right thing. Why am I sharing this? Because we hear about the bullying and the sad stories that plague our community. We need to let these child victims know there is hope out there, there are good strong friends to lean on. We also need to encourage our kids to get involved if they see something that is not okay. Be on your kids’ side, ask questions, give them the tools to ask for help, look for help, and accept help. Help others even if it’s not your problem. I understand it’s hard for kids to fight against the flow of voyeurism when there’s drama in the halls or on the playground but as adults, you need to be the strength they need to at home to know how to stand up for themselves and stand up for someone else. To be empathetic and brave. You cannot control bullying and you cannot expect human nature to change from its base. But you can teach your family to choose the right, be the strength, and act when there is a wrong.