Pope County Student Takes Bully's Death Threat to Police

Another alleged bullying incident reported in Central Arkansas has a freshman in Pope County fearing for her life.

Atkins' superintendent says like districts all over the state, they're trying to crack down on bullying. The student handbook along with signs around campus, remind students to shun bullying, but despite the warnings 14-year-old  Destinee Deeds says another student pushed and threatened her Monday.

"She was saying rude and hateful things, pounding her fists like she was going to hit me," says Deeds.

Deeds says when she started complaining to administrators last week they told the alleged bully to stop, but Monday it went to a new level.

"She was saying she was going to kill me three or four times," says Deeds, who took the threat to heart. "We don't know if she could pull out a gun or a knife and try and hurt me."

"It was devastating actually," her mother, Donna Bourland said. "Especially after seeing shootings on the news a few days before that."

Now Deed's mother is demanding the school take more action to keep the girls apart.

"How is a child supposed to go to school and focus on school work if they're scared to death," Bourland says.
   
The superintendent says he wasn't aware of Deed's encounter but that the high school principal is taking a strong stance against bullying, even lining up speakers and programs to discourage it.

Bourland says she's allowed her daughter to stay home from school when she was too scared to attend and she's willing to take her out altogether, if she doesn't start feeling safer soon. 

The family also filed a police report and a formal complaint against the student they say pushed and threatened Deeds.

Click here to learn more about what state law says about bullying.