Last month Jaheem Herrera, an 11 year old elementary student in ATL, hung himself in his bedroom. While his suicide was unexpected, his parents knew he had been the target of bullying at school. Several weeks ago when I first heard about this case I was numb, angry, and sad. Parents send their kids to school with an expectation of safety.
There was an investigation conducted by the school system into the bullying claims post-suicide, but no one ever took them seriously when they were first mentioned. Now the investigation concludes that no one was bullying the child beyond "name-calling and teasing." Other parents and students interviewed stated that bullying is a problem at the school. Some parents stated that their kids were choked and beaten with buckles. But because teachers and school administrators say otherwise, the investigation says bullying wasn't a problem.
So the Dekalb County school district and Dunaire Elementary school want me to believe this child just hung himself because he was simply not popular? While one cannot be held responsible for the emotional state of another, especially not children, there still needs to be a demand for justice!
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/dekalb/stories/2009/05/20/jaheem_bully_school.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab
3 comments:
It seems to me that the voice of the collective people (the parents of affected students) need to sound off. When unreasonable determinations are made, such as in this case, the people have to persist in their position until they are met with (greater) cooperation from those in positions of authority. The people have to simply push until cooperation and reason no longer oppose them because of ignorance, indifference, or a lack of acountability.
That was a very sad story. On the contrary I think that caregivers - parents, schools administers, etc are responsible for a child's emotional state. It all stems from the responsibility to protect them. I child doesn't know anything about choosing to feel a certain way or the power that they have to take control of the emotions.
Yeah I feel both of you. What I was trying to say about the emotional responsiblity is that one child can't control another child's emotions, but they can indeed affect them. It's just very sad. I'm disappointed in the adults in this situation at the school. But more stories are popping up across the country of kids choosing suicide. Something must happen to prevent this.
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