10 YO boy decides to end his life after being bullied relentlessly

They should have pulled him out of the school after the 3rd complaint. I blame the parents because they failed to control their controllables. Life is never going to be kind to people that hold out for someone else to solve their problems. Take care of your own, people.

Horribly sad. Poor kid.

R1, and put him where? Another school where the same sjot would happen?

R1 I disagree, they might not have the ability to problem-solve to that extent. They unfortunately relied on the school to step up. They may have been made promises and reassurances that they trusted.

Obv I meant shit at r3.

This is absolutely heartbreaking. A 10-year-old shouldn't be having suicidal thoughts, let alone having a plan to carry them out.

My heart breaks for the family. It seems schools, nowadays, want to dictate all sorts of things regarding child-rearing, but are completely inept/silent when things go wrong.

You don't keep sending that poor child to be tormented everyday. You change schools and keep changing schools until you find one where the kid can thrive. Are you insane? R4 The parents are the only ones who could solve it. 20 complaint and still waiting for the school to solve?

Time for a lawsuit $$$

That’s the only thing works

Suicides are way up with under 18s. They are treated cruelly and just don’t know how to cope. I can’t help but wonder if the digital wonderland we live in has something to do with it.

Heart-breaking.

Indiana is a shithole.

R11 bullying happens everywhere.

[quote]I can’t help but wonder if the digital wonderland we live in has something to do with it.

Of course it does, r9.

I am absolutely not trying to be insensitive here, but I do wonder how the little boy killed himself. Where did he get the information on what/how to do it?

[quote] . You change schools and keep changing schools until you find one where the kid can thrive.

Where I live, you go to your district schools. You can’t go to school in another district. You have to move, and in this economy few people can get up and move, especially if they’re renters. If you’re 2 working parents you can’t home school.

There is home schooling. There is long distance learning. They could keep the kid home and claim he had a medical disability. Then he could get tutors to teach him at home. They could have called the police. They could have done more.

r16 bitch, please!

Well, that settles that, r13

This is very sad.

The kid should've been pulled out of school and temporarily homeschooled.

I don't think other suggestions such as calling the police or following the kid to school or marching into the office would do much these days, especially if conversations were that frequent and nothing had been done by the school to help the issue. Just yank the kid out for his immediate safety then figure out what to do from there.

That's just said.

I hope the parents sue the hell out of the school AND the parents of the bullies. Name and shame so it follows them the rest of their lives.

Common sense is common sense, r18.

We are gay. We were all bullied. Cruelty is part of life. Who knows this better than we do?

What’s different now? That’s what we need to be focusing on. Because we won’t be expunging cruelty from humanity anytime soon.

Another content-laden exploration, r21

Do you really need me to explain it to you, r23, or are you just being obtuse?

[quote] and put him where? Another school where the same sjot would happen?

Oh, dear, you’re a retard. If the same sjot happens, then there’s something fucking wrong wish the kid.

Plot twist: the parents abused him. Next.

R14 Yes, I would also like to know how a 10 yr old finds out how to kill themselves and carries it out. Where do they get this without getting flagged for parental content or noticed?

r14, ten is old enough to understand hanging. Or a gun. But I think if it had been a gun this would have been looked into by the police and that info would be included. But hanging is the most likely. That's an easy concept for a ten year old to understand.

There is more to this story. The school says no bullying was reported but they had conversations with the parents. I believe the school more than the parents.

[quote] Do you really need me to explain it to you, [R23], or are you just being obtuse?

Oh you have the answer, dearheart? I can’t wait to hear this.

[quote]Yes, I would also like to know how a 10 yr old finds out how to kill themselves and carries it out

He looked online.

Social media has expanded the method and weaponized bullying and it can be done anonymously or by an invented persona. It really isn't rocket science, r27.

That's my answer, r30.

Not me, R29. The school is simply covering its ass.

[Quote] Social media has expanded the method and weaponized bullying and it can be done anonymously or by an invented persona. It really isn't rocket science, [R27].

Where’s the proof he was bullied exclusively or even predominantly online, big thinker?

find the kids who did it and pluck out their eyeballs.

[quote]Oh, dear, you’re a retard

Hey "retard" troll, you're tedious.

R1 - Go FUCK YOURSELF.

They reported severe bullying 20 times and were still waiting for someone else to do something. They were far too passive. After the second or third time, changes should have been made. They did nothing.

[quote]Where’s the proof he was bullied exclusively or even predominantly online, big thinker?

LoL, r33, I never said he was. The question was what was different now that there's more children committing suicide over bullying.

[quote]Suicides are way up with under 18s. They are treated cruelly and just don’t know how to cope. I can’t help but wonder if the digital wonderland we live in has something to do with it.

If he wasn’t, r38, why did you offer it as the reason?

Can we call someone for you?

“Online bullying is the reason, even if kids are not being bullied online!” Oh dear.

Got it, r39, you're *choosing* to be obtuse.

Yes everyone is obtuse unless they hear the “yes it’s obviously the digital age” as the “explanation” for increased suicides, without any further explanation.

And then when pressed, “it’s because of online bullying, even if there wasn’t any.” Obtuse!

R39 must be a Maga troll. Blocked for me and I only block MAGA trolls.

^^^ and when she can’t further defend her ridiculous position, she exclaims “MAGA troll!” and flees the room.

If the school wouldn't act, why didn't they call the police?

Officer, THAT’S the boy who said my son had funny teeth!

I sometimes wonder how I made it through school without doing the same as this kid. What I wouldn’t have done in the 80s to be able to take school online. It’s sad that this was this kid’s solution to his pain, though. Seems like everyone in his life failed him, school and parents. At 10, he wasn’t supposed to figure it out on his own.

[quote]^^^ and when she can’t further defend her ridiculous position, she exclaims “MAGA troll!” and flees the room.

Bless your heart, r43, but I'm not r42.

r11 bullying does not happen everywhere. my daughter insists that bullying is NOT a thing at her school. and this has remained consistent from grade school through middle school to high school. effective school districts create a culture where this is not allowed to happen.

That poor baby. If his parents had hired an attorney to threaten/file a lawsuit that little boy might still be alive.

R47, the MAGAT was talking to me but I can’t see his post since he’s a MAGAT and I block all MAGAT trolls.

This is why homeschooling must remain legal! Even working parents can often manage it - especially when it's this bad.

R51, I’m sorry, but working parents cannot manage it. And it’s a terrible option for students.

I wonder if bullying is a uniquely US school problem and if countries with better school systems (like Finland) don’t have bullying.

Bullying was really bad when I was a kid 20+ years ago. I can’t imagine how horrible it is now with social media and smartphones.

Close enough, r47. Close enough.

Bullying is everywhere, though worse when society doesn't take it seriously.

After a particularly bad incident, Swedish-Norwegian psychologist came up with a bullying prevention plan - his book: "Bullying at School - Long Term Outcomes for the Victims and an Effective School-Based Intervention Program."

I think it's a lot of student-body wide awareness programs - teaching that to watch bullying and do nothing is almost as bad as bullying itself. An attempt to change the way the whole subject is dealt with -- it's the bullies who are flawed, not their vulnerable victims. Show that they're mentally challenged -- oh I can't remember the details, but in our society, often bullying is not only ignored, but glorified! (see djt ahem)

Link to his book. There's data that his program definitely works to make things better. I mean, in some places, victims can't even complain because it isn't recognized that it's ok to call it abuse and object, the way an adult could do if he or she was bullied in the workplace. We've improved that, quite a bit, and we can do it for children. IF we care.

Hell I was in such a rush I left out the author/psychologist's name: Dan Olweus.

[quote] What’s different now? That’s what we need to be focusing on. Because we won’t be expunging cruelty from humanity anytime soon.

There was no social media then and it was not as relentless as today. School administrators can't do anything about it, in my day a teacher could punch a kid in the face for bullying another kid.

Today's kids are not disciplined or taught respect or values. We had a president who is publicly and unapologetically a bully, and there were no consequences for him.

I'm thankful that my formative years were analog. Technology gives kids so many different ways to torture each other.

Figures that this would happen in trashy Indiana.

That poor boy.

Why is there not a zero tolerance policy for bullying in all schools, with serious consequences for a second offense?

[quote] I wonder if bullying is a uniquely US school problem and if countries with better school systems (like Finland) don’t have bullying.

You’re too stupid to live.

[quote] School administrators can't do anything about it, in my day

Let’s get you back to the home, gramps.

[quote] Bullying is everywhere, though worse when society doesn't take it seriously.

No, children are coddled now and can’t deal with anything. That’s the problem.

I went to a big urban high school with thousands of students. I never heard of bullying because the school was so,big you could get lost. ,However, my middle school was very tough and there were gangs and threats of being beaten up. You always had to be ready to fight and couldn’t back down ever. Bullying seems something more common in smaller communities where this is no escape.

Heartbreaking.

I have a pit in my stomach.

I've noticed homophobia ramping-up. The Deplorables are afraid their dream of another Trump presidency- and a subsequent ban on gay marriage- is fading. They're acting out.

I'm not a parent, so I don't have that perspective. But I would damn well enroll the kid in a different school after the second go-around. I would just need to see the pain in their eyes to rush to their aid. There are plenty of private schools in our area, and most have financial aid programs to assist those who need it. I would move if I had to. Anything to alleviate their pain.

I don't know how these parents can sleep at night.

You’d think all this woke stuff would trickle down. I thought society was making some progress in making bullying uncool.

R61 it’s a fair question. It’s no secret that the US has a terrible school system and a myriad of other problems. Kids are more likely to lash out when they have a shitty life.

I would imagine that a country like Finland would have better resources for kids than the US and the kids would be better behaved than here.

But please, continue being snarky while contributing absolutely nothing to the conversation.

This story is hitting me so hard. He was so cute with the big happy grin!

And he killed himself on May 5! How many days were even left in the school year?