A friend of the Phoebe Prince family has slammed school officials for trying to make themselves media martyrs.

“The kids have had the book thrown at them,” Darby O’Brien says. "What about the people in charge of the school?”

Good point, Darby.

Why are South Hadley school officials still more focused on defending themselves?

Pheobe Prince was just 15 when she took her own life on Jan. 14. Is anything more important than that?

Apparently not for the teachers' union which is still focused on defending itself.

Bill O’Neil, head of the South Hadley Education Association and a teacher at the high school penned a letter to Boston media saying many teachers were “shocked” to learn of the extent of the teen’s alleged abuse.

“Some in the media have painted a picture of South Hadley High School as a school out of control - a place where everyone knew of the bullying and no one did anything about it,” Bill O’Neil, wrote. “That image is just plain wrong.”

O'Neil says it's all the media's fault. He blames the media’s “nasty tone” for the war of words which broke out over the bullying and counter-threats to the accused bullies.

Oh give us a break Bill.

There would be no story here if Phoebe Prince hadn't been bullied to death.

As Darby O'Brien says, there has been an alarming lack of urgency in the school's response to Phoebe's tragic death.

Why hasn't the school committee held emergency meetings over the D.A.'s findings that teh bullying was common knowledge?

“Why hasn’t anyone done that," stormed O'Brien. Are they clueless?”