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I am thinking of moving to Kauai with my husband and 3 children, ages 20, 18, and 12. The 12 year old is blond haired and blue eyed. Will he have difficulty or will he be bullied at school? He is small of stature for his age. In our present school district in Colorado there is a zero tolerance for bullying... a result of the Columbine school shootings (Columbine is in our present school district). We wil probably live in Kapaa, so my son will go to Kappa Middle School. What sort of safety precautions are implemented at Kapaa Middle School.. particularly as related to bullying? Are the white minority kids protected from bullying and violence by the school personnel?
Sue, moving at that age (12) is difficult anywhere. The whole haole thing is overblown on these forums by mainlanders with fears who use words like blond-blue and minority and violence, and by a few people who had issues. Most of the long-timers will give you a more balanced and reasoned view. Keep reading old threads, they usually say it boils down to attitude.
Kids in school get chided, teased, taunted, and bullied for any number of reasons. New kids always get it to some degree. I (white) was teased and taunted when I moved to AZ (all white neighborhood) at 12.
I have no direct experience of KMS, but from knowing the town and hearsay about the schools, here's my opinion. Your son will stand out at KMS, and may get some comments, some of them mentioning that he's white/blond/haole. If he fits in, learns the local attitudes, and makes friends, he should be fine. Do realize though, that while Kapa'a isn't a rough neighborhood, it is still relatively rural and many kids come from families that don't emphasize education. That doesn't make for a good learning environment.
Are the white minority kids protected from bullying and violence by the school personnel?
Sorry, no.
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