this kid got the shaft, First of all there were no other students man enough to step up and help this kid? In the entire school? Then he's hidden from the abuse?That's an even bigger sin, yes in my day you took it up the fort because it was off school property, and it got settled that way, but if it was reported and no one dealt with this then why have an adult hired to disipline students, Suspened for 10 days for self defence and loseing his temper after being attacked,something is very very wrong with this picture

Wow! That's all I can say is wow!

On Feb. 10, Joshua was sent home early from school. That is CRAZY!!! Why were the police not called then? The school did not do its job protecting this kid and now he is being punished for it??? @ Jim L- If you check out one of the earlier articles, a student comments about how the TEACHERS are afraid and let certain groups do whatever they want for fear of backlash. If the teachers are afraid to step in, I can see where a child would be scared. Especially when the school has shown they are NOT going to help you.

I agree with u Jennifer 100 percent! The school needs to step up alot more..

The school should be ashamed at how they handled this situation.

Two things: First, this kid got shafted, and this is a complete result of adults in this situation failing to properly address the situation from the start. If a situation is not properly addressed and therefore squelched naturally the impending events are like a shot of fuel to an already blazing fire. Next, several months ago I had a direct conversation with one of the PHS guidance counselors because my daughter, a freshman, has an english teacher that used the 'n' word in class, with the students. NOTHING was done about this. So, if a teacher can use profanity, with no repercussion, wouldn't the children naturally, being led by example, do the same? Practice what you preach works both ways. This is a disgusting situation that needs to be examined from the beginning symptoms to the end result.

If that was my son, I would get a lawyer and sue the School and the Administrators involved. Are the boys town students in control of the school? Why is there not police at this school like in other towns. Why is the victim in more trouble than the person who caused this? I think it is time for a new leadership team at this school. The school committee needs to clean house. If there is a group of students responsible for this they need to be expelled. Why is there no control at this school? Why is there not more public outrage. I think Little Compton should consider pulling their students out of this school. What will it take to get the town of Portsmouth to understand they have a problem.

FYI people phs sucks! I'm sorry to say that, I'm a phs grad and all during my senior year I was bullied and nothing was done about it! So phs staff need to step up!

From the Boys Town New England web site
"Thank you for taking the time to read about the Boys Town Educational Model. As a Rhode Island resident and Executive Director of Boys Town New England, I am well aware of the challenges confronting our educators. Students are often disruptive and disrespectful to teachers and are not prepared to learn when they come to class. Other students struggle to pay attention or don’t know basic skills necessary to function within an educational environment. These students are at risk of failure, not because they can’t learn, but they don’t know how to practice basic study skills and pro-social skills that will help them to succeed. Boys Town programs can help."
- Bill Reardon

Not to be a jerk but making a video like this will probably get you beat up even more.

So what just because hes half black its ok for him to call people that word? No its not, no one should be calling anyone that. Have some class.

I do not like the use of that word either. I find it highly offensive. However, it now seems like it is an acceptable word that is thrown around a lot of the time in a FRIENDLY context. But really... 10 day SUSPENSION??? I think maybe a detention would have been more fitting. The school has also opened the floodgates. So are they going to suspend every kid that throws the word around? I think they will have a lot of kids out!! So J. uses a bad word and has the same punishment as the kid that not only punched him but a teacher too??!!

Again, the bullying statutes are reserved for GAYS and are not applicable to other students. This is pretty much how these things play out all over New England.

Get this kid into some Karata classes fast. Learn self defense ,end bullying.
Bullies love an easy target. If they have to get dirty it's to much work.

Everyone should be treated equal. The gay comment was rude, untrue and unnecessary. Most groups have fought hard to gain the respect they deserve and the rights they were born with. Portsmouth runner said it well.

Unfortunately..Joshs mother (Video) did NOT do her son any favors with her PUBLIC intervention.. NOW... Josh is a "Mamas Boy" and he will have to take the heat from not only the Boyz from Boys Town but his other male peers in the school. She has obviously raised him to NOT HIT. Young males NEED to defend themselves. Just sayin. Think about it.

Then again: Josh, at 18 is an ADULT now. If he has decked the 17 year old..and I have NO doubt he could have done that..JOSH would have been charged with .....pick a charge........on a minor.

I don't know about anyone else but I know of 2 incidents in Portsmouth Middle School. One, a child brought a knife to school and pulled it on someone with threats and the cops weren't called until 4 hours later, with the vice principal stating he was the law when it came to the welfare of the kids. Yet, he didn't pull the kid out of class immediately he waited and this person could of stabbed someone. The other incident was a bullying incident were the child actually punched the person and absolutely nothing was done. So, where is the protection for our children at school?

DIDN'T A BULLY CLASS JUST TAKE PLACE A WEEK OR TWO AGO? WHAT TRAINING IS THERE FOR ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS IN THIS AREA?

PATCH - A DIS-SERVICE!! THIS HAS GOTTEN OUT OF HAND. Patch led bees to the flower on this topic and keep it going by having this student and now the students mom giving video diary's. Sad. Also sad, is the reality that these articles and now video are going to do to this student (especially after Mom's interview - how embarrassing), if he is used to running away from the boys, then he better get a new pair of sneakers.

Did the other boy get suspended? Do we know that the other boy was from Boys Town? I do understand that people say things in the heat of the moment that they normally would not say in a reasonable situation. I have, I have had it done to me and I'm pretty sure everyone has. Considering Josh's age, gender and race I don't really think his words should be judged as racial. Have you listened to many 18 year old boys conversations? I am not a big fan of the N word, but I really do not think it was meant as a racial slur in this circumstance. Bully is a huge problem. I do understand it is part of growing up, it's part of life. You need to learn to deal with all sorts of people including mean ones, but kids should feel safe at school. Unfortunely bullies usually have bully parents or are in denial which makes it even harder inforce any kind of punishments. My family has attended anti-bulling events, they are usually attended by the kids that are being bullied and not the bullies themselves. Good luck to Josh who did the right thing by not hitting back. ( I do believe in defending yourself, but in this situation he would have been hitting a minor).

If the other kid is from boys town then he still has a long way to go with is family- teachers. Hopefully Josh will learn to stick up for him self, and Portsmouth High will get that crap together and enforce anti-bullying like they should have done long ago.

Joe Sousa made 2 really good points: one in reference to Joe Flood, as a 1981 PHS grad the thought of Joe Flood patrolling the hallways is still scary. Point being these boys that are "bullying" are basically being allowed to continue. Joe Flood would have said "your out!" end of story. What happened to all the "alternate learning" programs for behavioral students? Why are these bullies still in main stream? My 28 year old wasn't a bully however he was disruptive and was put out of public schools and attended East Bay Collabrative for "behavioral students". The behavioral students don't belong in mainstream if being disruptive especially when the average behaved student goes to school in fear due to this. The other point Joe made and I absolutely agree with is how not enough is being down to protect the non-behavoral students some sort of self defense is in order. My daughter so sweet, good student and a junior black belt has her parents permission to do whatever she has to do to defend herself as she could and we'll deal with the aftermath. It's disgusting that this boy has had to go to school in fear and is suffering legalities now. Shame on PHS and the system.

Lisa D, I would bet the house your children are successful. Not just because you agree with me. Because you were brought up in a good community.

Lisa, I'm not picking on your comment, but I find it disgusting that a student would NEED to be a black belt to feel safe at school. I agree that something seems to stink at PHS. Bullying behavior should not be tolerated under any circumstances. If PHS put the onus on the student to hide from bullies rather than dealing with the bullies themselves, heads should roll, beginning at the top.

Dad, self defense class helps build self esteem and confidence. The self defense training is a great form of exercise and a great deterrent in keeping the kid away from drugs. The training helps mind and body. Black belt is not easy to obtain. It take a lot of sacrifice and self determination. I started with Bill Aguiar in Fall River. I would recommend it to all parents. You can't expect some one to be there to protect your child every minute of the day.

Only the ones who didn't listen.

Joe, my youngest is in karate for the reasons you stated, but he's not there to absolve his school's administrators from doing their jobs. Self defense classes should not be a requirement for attending school. School is about education, not self-preservation.

Dad,I think it should be part of GYM class. The meditation help with concentration . Kids today have the attention span of a gnat . I think the School dept does it's best. They will tell you give them more staff.

I think the biggest issue that everyone is forgetting is that this is not a small town boy vs. a small town boy. There will be no Fort fight that they will all laugh about tomorrow. IF these kids were indeed the kids that people are claiming, our kids are OUT OF THEIR LEAGUE! This will not be a slap down or a punch or two thrown. This will be a SLAUGHER. Josh was very wise to hold his own and not fight. I'm sure he would have gotten the ** beat out of him. More than likely by more than one kid. Most of the kids from Boys Town are from the school of Hard Knocks. I do believe that every child derseves a chance but not at other childrens expense. Boys Town does a wonderful service but I think some of them are just not able to adjust. Some of the kids flourish and this is the step they need to become wonderful people.

He did not run away. He stood his ground. He was, however, smart about it.

I am almost afraid to ask... In WHAT house??? Either way... what are you saying? A Dad would teach him to "fight"?? I think your earlier post implied karate class would do that...

BTW, if you mean the Despres family, I have no idea. I have never met them. However your comment was rude and your implications even ruder...

I assume you know Josh since you are giving details of the assault. Yes I wonder if it is a two parent family. Time and again we see that is the best environment to raise a family. Yes a Dad would ensure his son could protect him self and his family later in life .

No, I just read ALL the articles and the comments...

Anne Parente

3:46 pm on Friday, February 17, 2012

I have kids at Portsmouth High too and they come home all the time talking about how disruptive and abusive these kids from the group home are. Is it a financial thing that the school does not discipline them? They are allowed an education by law, but they are not allowed to go through the school disrupting everyone else's education. My kids are not friends with the boy who was assaulted, but saw the whole thing happen in the cafeteria Monday morning. They said the boy in this article, Josh, was just standing with his girlfriend when the other boy walked up started verbally assaulting him and trying to get him to go outside. Josh said that he wouldn't go outside and that if the kid was going to hit him he could do it right there. He did and then Josh reacted by calling the kid the "n" word, not in a racial way, but in a punk way. He did nothing more after that, but was accosted by another one of the group home kids on the way to the principals office. Where is the outcry about the behavior of the other student involved? He assaulted this student, but the focus is on this poor kid's reaction. I feel bad for the family to have to go through this and wish them the best of luck with the court proceedings.

In a perfect world, maybe... again, your comment was rude and your implications even ruder...

I think a mother could make sure a son can protect himself just as easily as a father. There are many children, myself included that come from single parent families, and turn out just fine. It does not take a two parent home to raise a child.

Renee you have to admit it is a lot easier to raise children with two parents. I know that is not always possible. But it truly does help.

I do agree that is much easier. I wouldn't want to do it on my own, but it is possible to raise well rounded, successful children with one parent as well. I think like anything else it depends on the circumstances.

I've seen first hand the detention room used at Portsmouth High school . I restored the walls that were full of holes where the kids punched them. This was a few years ago but I had a chance to observe the kids for a week. I was reminded of my days there as I watched the kids change classes. I spoke with some of the teachers there, one that I went to school with. We both went to Hathaway School in the mid sixties. Back then if you got out of hand you got your hands whacked with a ruler. By the time we went to the new middle school on Jepson lane ,Teachers could no longer discipline. We both believe that is when the wheels fell off the bus. Kids have gotten worse because there are no consequences to their actions. Spare the rod spoil the child

A lot of good points here. In the old days there was a Point Of Honor. One man (boy) against another ..up at the Fort. It's not like that anymore. The Boyz from the Town don't work that way. They are street trained. Strength in numbers.

PEOPLE:; Just close your eyes....you don't want to know.

If Josh had responded by "Dropping" the 17 year old..there would have been mayhem. Josh was not up against ONE kid. He would have been up against a gang. .It would have been a BEAT DOWN..? That's how the boyz work. A pack mentality.

Being 18, Josh is screwed,..one way or another. Black Belt....GUN..Yea Yea.....you can defend yourself..YUP ...lets try ONE Black Belt against seven Boyz on a "Wilding".

What saddens me is, this is not Newark, NJ, This is Portsmouth, RI

That is what I was trying to say... Thank you!

Josh is more then capable of protecting himself he's twice the size of this"bull" the only reason I think josh would use the word bully because this group home kid could say or do whatever he wanted due to the fact that josh was 18. Belive me josh didn't just get punched in the face the group home kid left the fight with a torn off shirt a black eye and busted lip I'd know I was right there when it happened. And as far as josh calling him a duragatory name i e known josh all my life and he is no racist or biggot. When angry people say a lot of stuff they really don mean

@ Razzle Dazzle- Thank you!!

If you are telling me no one had his back then his friends let him down . What are these Schools teaching our kids.

josh is a big kid, i dont believe he was bullied. Maybe this is a way to get out of the trouble he got in from getting into a fight. in the video he says " he said hed punch me if i didnt stop talking trash" well maybe he was provoking the kid. And blaming the other kids because they are " boys town kids" isnt right either because Josh has his own little gang of friends to , if his friends wouldnt help him out then there is a big problem in his "gang". Im not for either side . i really dont care im just presenting the facts.

DANCE OFF - a constructive way to handle this situation would be to have a classic dance off. Incorporating the cat and hawk moves at the appropriate times is a sure way of assessing skill, tradition, and artistic expression.

I am in favor of a Dance Off, too. Boyz Town hood rats snapping their fingers while their front man starts to moonwalk over near Josh .... As the bully hears the beat and rythym increasing... He throws over a body worm move.....twisting his waist and back into it... Josh is able to quickly 'duck and roll' into a Wind Mill move to deflect the perpetrator from acting swiftly. Josh could then psyche out the BoyzTown gangbangers with a quick Roger Rabbit move... grabbing his girlfriend and a chocolate milk at the cafeteria counter and heading on his way.... Dance Off..... Dance Off.... Dance Off.....

Dance off? Wow you guys are stuck in the movies. And if either of cant dance then what? How about thumb war? Exactly what 2 people that wanna kill eachother want to do. Have a dance off. Get realistic.

No dance, no cat or hawk moves. This is the place these folks are at. But it's all about trying new things. Such as you say a thumb war. I find this could be insulting if we find out that one of the boys could be missing a finger and if it is the thumb, even more insulting. However, should both parties have a thumb then this could be a feasible opportunity should the dance be considered to much of a Broadway act passed on thru the generations. But regardless, a great alternative to what is going on today.

From the Boys Town web site
"How the Boys Town Model Works in Schools
Children who lack social skills or are caught in patterns of misbehavior will struggle at school. As a result, they may not develop the life-skills they need to succeed in their education or their lives as a whole.
To save these children, their needs must be addressed not just at home, but in school where they will spend nearly half of their waking hours. That’s where the Boys Town Education Model aims to make a difference.
The Boys Town Education Model is used in thousands of schools nationwide. It focuses on managing behavior, building relationships, and teaching social skills through prevention and proactivity. Our goal is to provide:
A curriculum of specific life skills that schools can use to prepare students to succeed both in and out of the classroom
Classroom management methods to help teachers reach challenging students and spend more time on teaching
Proven intervention strategies for administrators to help them improve positive outcomes for all students
These components are part of Boys Town’s system-wide approach to creating and encouraging respectful staff-student relationships, changing the way schools address student behavior and and saving children wherever they need to be saved.""

I am a phs grad and I hated this school. The teachers dont care about the students all they want is that pay check.. Have a problem? they wont do anything about it.. I refuse to send my children to this school. ANd over the years the school is just getting worse and wrose.

This has been going on for year's. The other student's can't help the student being hurt because they will be suspended, because of the school rules. I know for a fact a student who helped another student from not getting hurt, by pushing the student out of the way from what he was going to do to the other child. The student helping got suspended. Children are killing themself's over being bullied. If they can't go to there teacher's or counsler's or adult's who they look up too for help at school where they are all day who do they go to? Just let us know. They are told in school, on TV, etc, tell an adult you are being bullied and we will help you. I do not believe this is always the truth. From day one I do not believe an adult was there to help this student at school. The situation never should have gone this far. I worry very much about this situation at P.H.S. How bad does it have to get to have the right thing done? Untill we loose one of P.H.S student's to bullying? The student's are the one's that know what is going on in this school. The children that tell there parent's about these situation's maybe should form a group to try and do something for these student's that need your help. I know many won't even believe you or deny what is going on at P.H.S. Karate lessons are not the answer to it all.

The legislation is to promote days of silence and other teachings about gay lifestyle so we can all be "sensitive" and it does not protect straight kids who get bullied. It is the Kevin Jennings dream of forced teaching. That is why this young man has been victimized by a fallacy.

It's pretty low to use a real situation involving real people to promote your paranoid, bigoted, ant-gay agenda.

Mr. Robert E. you said "I am not saying that these kids should not defend themselves but once they do they will be arrested and charged with assualt." with respect, that is one of the most contradictory statements i have ever heard. the new zero tolerance policy at portsmouth high only function to tie the hands of the average kid...from what i have seen for the most part the kids who participate in verbal and physical bullying are the kids that already get in trouble all the time... so why would they care about a little worse punishment? while your average kid has his hands tied and cant defend himself because he is so afraid of getting in trouble.this policy encourages bullying. i have witnessed some pretty bad bullying at PHS and now after three years when i finally have build the nerve to do something...i cant ,for fear of the repercussions not from the kids but from the staff and the law. i understand the police and the principles cannot be everywhere at once, but thats when you encourage kids to step up to bullies, not just turn their heads.

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When confronted with a person who is attempting to do bodily harm it is acceptable to protect yourself. Teaching kids to protect them selves is every parents responsibility. It is not a crime to repel an attack when you are cornered . No one said don't try to solve it with alternative solutions. Some kids need a good whooping to get their attitude strait. Stand up for your selves and watch your brothers back. The best way to stop a bully is to show your not going to put up with them.There is strength in numbers .

Joe, with your personal history, you should not be giving out this type of advice.

having come from a military family that moved alot, and being taught by both my mother and father to walk tall, i was subject to many a bully when i was young, it took me a few years to learn, when someone starts it it right then, doesn't matter if you win or lose, you get respect, this doesn't make you a punk, or a trouble maker, its gives you peace in your life, and once you do this you can expand your respect to other which in turn leads the bullies to leave them alone, it's a hard thing to do, but you ask any kid from a miltary family that just got tired iof getting beat up and you will find this true

To everyone here who think that josh should have fought back you are missing the point josh is an adult the other kid was a minor. Yes if he fought back he would not have to deal with bullies at school anymore he would now be dealing with the bullies at the ACI because as an adult that is where he would have ended up. The bully who started the fight would be back at his group home josh would be facing major charges the PPD arrested him for a statment he made what do you think they whould have done had he hit a minor. It doesn't matter who started the fight both parties would have been charged one as a minor and josh as an adult. Better to do nothing and not ruin the rest of his life.

I am a former PHS Student and have been removed because of my lack of academics completed. The school is a joke yo