Update: Superintendent Patti Cleary said in an email that the unnamed student described as being hospitalized following an attempted suicide was actually one of the protestors.  Cleary said she has no knowledge of an attempted suicide.

The information above was added to the story at 4:15 p.m. 

About a dozen Barberton High School students, along with a couple of parents, staged a protest outside the school this morning to urge the administration to take a tougher stand against bullying.

"I know it's a widespread issue," said a woman who didn't want to be identifed.  "Everybody is afraid to step up.  Somebody has to step up."

That woman was involved because she says bullying drove her daughter to an attempted suicide.  The teen is currently hospitalized.

Other students, including Kristen Grimm, a junior, say they are tired of being the target of bullies.

"They've called me fat. That've called me anorexic.  I get stuff thrown at me and the school hasn't done a thing."

Grimm says she reported the incidents.

"We never discount any claim of bullying and we investigate and do whatever we can to stop it," said Superintendent Patti Cleary.

Cleary says it's not legal for her to discuss infractions, investigations or sanctions as they relate to individual students.  She says, however, that people sometimes misinterpret the silence for inaction.  Cleary says there's a particular case this week that is still being investigated.

"We've been doing this all week with them and we'll continue to make sure that people are satisfied that we're trying to keep all the kids safe," said Cleary.

Cleary says administrators were flexible early this morning with the protestors in relation to their required arrival time.  She says it's okay to express an opinion, but that doesn't excuse students from class.