/*Jessica Barba*/ was smiling on her way back to class at /*Longwood High School*/. The freshman's five-day suspension is a thing of the past, and her anti-bullying video that created the controversy has received more than 66,000 views from around the world. She says has no regrets about her work and the reaction.
"The school is being fair about it," she said. "It's a good school. They took a wrong and turned it into a right, so I'm going back to school today."
The 15-year-old's anti-bullying video included a Facebook posting of a fictional girl that prompted some kids to post nasty remarks on the site, and the fictional 12-year-old committed suicide at the end. That's what caused the stir, as school officials tried to see if the girl was real or a fake.
It was all part of Jessica's six-minute-long project on the evils of bullying. She says too many kids are the victims of bullies, and she wanted to do something to get the word out.
"Bullying is never the option," she said. "You should never make a child feel like they have nothing else to live for. It shouldn't be that way."
The Longwood School District reacted to the video by suspending Barba. Jessica's father, Michael Barba, met with the principal Thursday morning at the administrative offices, and the entire matter was resolved.
"They met in good faith, and you, know we fixed it," Michael Barba said. "It's all good. You know, she's back to school today. She's going to turn in her report, and she's gotta get an A on it, come on."
Michael Barba says he's proud of his daughter.
"Of course I am," he said. "It's amazing. She's been around the world. We saw it in Australia this morning on the internet."
Jessica says the best part about going back to school is seeing her friends, and she's anxiously awaiting her grade on the project.
---
