Another Elementary School Suicide

Another 11-year-old boy, Jaheem Herrera, has hanged himself after enduring repeated bullying. (The horrible news comes via Will at Pam’s.) There is some reporting that he was bullied with anti-LGBT taunts, among others.

Just last week, after the suicide of Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, I asked “How many more children must die before we as a society get a clue?”

This is one too many.

We as a community of parents and citizens must hold our schools to account. It could start as simply as having the parents’ associations require principals to state publicly how many reported incidents of bullying there were each month or semester, and what was done. Parents could then provide further evaluation and a check to make sure enough was done. Other ideas?

GLSEN has anti-bullying resources, focused around anti-LGBT bullying. HRC’s Welcoming Schools program and PFLAG’s Cultivating Respect also have some. Tolerance.org, from the Southern Poverty Law Center, has more general anti-bullying resources.

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11:19 am Child Development, Education, Health and Safety

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4 Responses to “Another Elementary School Suicide”

1. 
   Mombian: Sustenance for Lesbian Moms » Blog Archive » “She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 66
   on Apr 23rd, 2009
   @ 3:10 pm: 

   [...] an 11-year-old boy who was repeatedly bullied in school. (We shot the video just before news broke of a second similar death.) Finally, we ask readers to take an online survey (not ours) that will [...]

2. 
   Helen
   on Apr 23rd, 2009
   @ 6:21 pm: 

   Beg to differ, but I’d say that’s two too many.

3. 
   Dana
   on Apr 23rd, 2009
   @ 7:25 pm: 

   Ah. I see your point–but I did ask “how many more,” with the understanding that the previous ones were unacceptable as well.

4. 
   Mombian: Sustenance for Lesbian Moms » Blog Archive » California Schools Under Fire for LGBT-Inclusive Diversity and Anti-Bullying Materials
   on May 17th, 2009
   @ 9:49 pm: 

   [...] state legislation introduced last week to help prevent bullying and harassment, plus examples of why it is needed. (They also mention HRC’s new Welcoming Schools Guide, which I wrote about myself a few weeks [...]