This young girl told her local school board that she will ‘stand up’ for those who get bullied

Delanie Marcotte is only in the fifth grade at Pollard School in Plaistow, New Hampshire, but she’s already making waves as an activist on behalf of her fellow students.

At the Timberlane Regional School Board meeting on June 7, Marcotte spoke before the board to ask school and community leaders to make changes to help stop bullying. She read an emotional letter about her own experiences with bullying and pleaded with the board to take action against the pervasive and damaging problem.

Her father, Todd Marcotte, posted video of his daughter’s moving testimony to Facebook, writing, “This took courage.”

As she tears up, Marcotte details some of the forms of bullying she has experienced, including threats of being “shot in the head and buried in my backyard.” She ends her passionate plea by saying, “I am here to stand up for every kid that gets bullied.”

Her dad’s post has now been viewed more than 126,000 times and shared more than 2,000 times. In the comments section, people commended the young Marcotte for her bravery and commitment to this important issue. For their part, the school board says they are taking her concerns seriously.

“We will continue to encourage all students to speak up when they see, hear or experience something that makes them uncomfortable,” Earl F. Metzler, Timberlane Regional School District superintendent, told NBC10 Boston. “The same holds true for parents and community members. There are many vehicles at Timberlane to share your concerns including, but not limited to, the public comment portion of our School Board agenda.”

Delanie’s father says that it has been difficult to watch his daughter suffer as the victim of bullying and is proud of her efforts to stop it.

“It is very hard to watch your child get bullied, hear about it day in and day out, and you do get very aggravated,” he told the station. “It’s an issue, and it’s an issue that has to be addressed.”

Here’s hoping this young girl’s words will resonate with the powers that be to enact change.