Originally published on 2 News Oklahoma – November 2nd, 2023
TULSA, Okla. — During the Mayor’s State of the City address, he mentioned mental health issues and the city’s plans to help. One program is aimed at Tulsa’s youth.
We met a mother whose son experienced bullying in school.
Erika Penuel’s son, Reagan, has auditory dyslexia. For example, someone may introduce themselves as “David,” but Reagan hears “Bavid.”
That has led to some nasty bullying issues in school, driving him to a virtual school, Insight School of Oklahoma. His mom shared his story dating back to fourth grade.
“He did OK for a while, and then I started noticing bruises on him,” Penuel said.
Reagan’s auditory dyslexia is on top of general hearing loss. One day, he didn’t hear the whistle for recess to end. As he was running toward the playground, other kids were running toward the door.
His mom alleges after a collision, a kid punched him in the chest. That was the tip of the iceberg.
“He’s a good kid. He’s a really good kid. He’s really sensitive,” Penuel said, “He’s got a very good heart. He doesn’t want anybody to be hurt. He wants to include everybody in everything that he does.”
He showed that good heart by standing up for his classmates. Incident after incident, emotions boiled over, and Reagan became the target of bullies. The bullying became so bad Reagan refused to go to school.
“As I said last year, we have to do better. Today, I’m here to tell you that we are,” Mayor Bynum said during his address.
Wednesday night, Tulsa’s city council approved Mayor Bynum’s request for $1 million to build a 24/7 juvenile psychiatric center.
“This will be another resource to provide Tulsa’s children with the support they need,” Bynum said.
Once the city builds the facility, other things will fall into place.
“I appreciate our partners at Tulsa County who are working with us to build this facility,” Bynum said, “Which will then be operated by the state and federal funds once it’s open.”
Reagan received intensive bi-weekly therapy and has worked with specialists for anxiety and outbursts. Now, he plays for a homeschool football team, has a small circle of friends and is on the uptick.
“There have been so many positive things that have come from, you know, being able to school from home but still get all of his needs met,” Penuel said.
To learn more about Insight School of Oklahoma, visit https://insightok.k12.com/.
