Students disciplined in Prince bullying

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (WWLP) - The alleged bullies at South Hadley High School are finally being punished, more than a month after a teen girl committed suicide. An investigation has revealed two groups of students are responsible for harassing 15-year old Phoebe Prince leading up to her death.

According to a news release from Superintendent of Schools Gus Sayer, one of the groups of students was reported to the principal right after the alleged bullying occurred and was punished immediately.

Another group of students was responsible for repeated harassment on Facebook and text messages the week leading up to Prince's death, but they were never reported. Now Principal Dan Smith thinks he knows who they are.

Those students went through a formal hearing process to protect their rights and allow them to be represented by an attorney. All of those students are no longer at South Hadley High School and will not be returning to school. It's unclear if it is a long-term suspension or an expulsion.

But it’s still not over. The District Attorney and police will continue to investigate Prince's death and it’s possible that criminal charges could be filed.

The school is also looking into the students who may have known about the bullying and didn't report it.

A bullying task force will be reviewing disciplinary policies at the high school and consider how students can be encouraged to report dangerous activities like bullying to school officials.