Toronto mother spends recess, lunch and class with daughter in effort to stop bullying

If you had a child that was being bullied, what measures would you take to try to stop it? Talk to the school principal? Tell your child what to say and how to behave around the perpetrators?

These all sound like reasonable suggestions, but what about escorting your child to school each day, remaining by their side during recess and lunch? You'd get a break while class was in session though, and be able to volunteer at the library.

Concerned Toronto, Ont. mother Jill Trahan-Hardy has been escorting her 11-year-old daughter Harley Campos to and from Earl Haig Public School since Monday.

After removing Harley from school last week due to recorded threats from two other girls, Harley's mother says she hopes to not have to do this for much longer.

Also see: Boy takes a stand against bullies in viral video 'Caine Stands Up'

“You do what you have to do to protect your child," Trahan-Hardy tells Global. "If I had to go further, I would’ve gone further."

Tranhan-Hardy claims that her daughter's grades have dropped from As and Bs to Cs and Ds since the beginning of the school year and that she experiences significant anxiety due to the bullying.

“They say they are going to beat me up,” says Grade 5 student Harley. “I feel like there’s no hope, I just want to stay home and do nothing.”

Last week, one particular incident caused Tranhan-Hardy to withdraw Harley from school.

Harley's alleged tormenters — two Grade 7 girls — confronted her during the lunch hour early last week, and they repeatedly threatened to beat her up for talking behind their backs, and insulting one of their mothers who had recently passed away, reports the Toronto Star.

Also see: Teen takes to social media to confront bullies

Harley denies these accusations.

In an iPhone recording of the interaction between the girls captured by one of Harley's friends, one of the older girls can be heard saying, "my dad doesn't care if I get suspended, he gave me advice on how to beat the s*** out of you," reports CTV.

That recording was given to school officials who then suspended the two older girls last week for a day and a half. But Tranhan-Hardy claims the girls broke their suspension and were seen on school property at the time, with no further consequences.

"They’re not being punished for breaking their punishment; it just doesn’t sit right with me,” she told Global last week.

As for Harley, while she admits that it does feel a bit weird to have her mother around this week, she feels a bit safer.