Reported by: Katrina Wessman and MaryEllen Resendez of
KNXV.comTONOPAH, Ariz. -- A West Valley high school student is facing a hurtful end to her freshman year.
At the same time, a teacher has now been placed on paid administrative leave.
Fifteen-year-old Marie Gray is a student at
Tonopah Valley High School.
Gray said she was in class this week when someone asked her if she had seen what was written by her name in the school yearbook.
When Gray looked, the words “fat ass” appeared in a printed collage right below her name.
Gray tearfully said she is often ridiculed by her classmates for her weight.
"I didn't think someone could be that mean, to write it in the yearbook, where everyone could see it," she said.
The word “faggot” was written under another student’s name in the collage.
Gray said she went to the yearbook teacher and cheer coach, Mrs. Schmitt, and was told that nothing could be done.
"I was upset, I didn't know what to do," Gray said.
She sent a cell phone picture of the hurtful page to her mother, Ray Knowlton.
Knowlton said she was angry and concerned about her daughter, who is an honors student and has been working hard to improve herself.
Softly crying, Gray said, "I like myself for who I am, but I'm not happy about my weight and it hurts to have everyone talking about it."
"I feel like the school has been ignoring us, no one has returned our calls," Knowlton said.
The collage is in every yearbook.
School officials told ABC15 they are getting labels made to cover the comments. If the labels are removed by a student, the page will rip, officials said.
The yearbook team at the school has also formally apologized to Gray, saying:
On behalf of the 2008-2009 yearbook class and Tonopah Valley High School we would like to sincerely apologize for the inappropriate and rude language of the freshman class. It's our mistake and we should have caught this one before the yearbook was published and handed out. The comment should not have been written in the first place and we apologize for the immaturity of whoever wrote it. We would greatly appreciate your forgiveness as we are terribly sorry.The apology may be too little, too late for the 15-year-old student who must now face her classmates at school.
"It's still there, it still happened, they can't rearrange time and take it back. It's always going to be there," said Gray.
Superintendent Mark Joraanstad with the Saddle Mountain Unified School District said the school district is investigating to find the student or students responsible.
Joraanstad has placed the yearbook teacher on administrative leave with pay.
Original
story from KNXV.com
