News 12 First at Five, September 25, 2007

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Sherrie Sutton wants bullying at Langford Middle School stopped. She says the principal at Langford told her she couldn't do anything about the bullying.

"[The Principal said] her hands were tied. There was nothing she could do because there was no proof that anybody did anything," said Sutton.

But there is an incident report -- documenting claims that Sutton's daughter has been "bullied for the past two years" and a MySpace comment from a Langford student threatening to beat up Sutton's daughter.

Principal Cheryl Frye did not return repeated calls from News 12. But made this comment Monday, " We do not have any bullying going on here."

"She's not going back. I'm not sending her back [to Langford]," says Sutton.

Sutton's daughter says she's afraid someone will try to fight her and school officials won't stop it.

"Usually it's fights that are never broken up. Teachers just stand there and watch."

Sutton says when she talked to the Langford principal about stopping bullying at the school she said, "she wanted to keep her record squeaky clean."

That's why Sutton says she's not sending her daughter back to Langford, instead she's going to home-school her child.

"Because if I send her over there and something happens -- I'm going to feel bad because I sent her back knowing they're not going to do anything."

Lieutenant Jimmy Young says if bullying is going on at Langford -- it needs to be addressed.

"If they're all in classes together--I'd definitely want to look at it just to head off any problems that may be coming," said Young.

Preventing problems at Langford is exactly what Sherrie Sutton wants -- to protect her child and others.

News 12 took these concerns straight to the school board and because of our investigation, the Deputy Superintendent is setting up a meeting with the Sutton family and the principal of Langford Middle School to figure out how to stop the bullying.