Georgia School District Rules That Dead Boy Was Not Bullied

Unbelievable. Over the cries of his mother, who says she complained to the school numerous times, the Dekalb County school district has ruled that there is no evidence that Jaheem Herrera was ever bullied. Herrera's mother found her 11 year-old son hanging from an extension cord.

Retired Fulton Superior Court Judge Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore, who headed the review, said at a press conference the findings show Jaheem Herrera, 11, actively participated in several fights at Dunaire Elementary School during the school year. Jaheem hanged himself at home April 16. His mother, Masika Bermudez, broke down crying 13 minutes into the press conference. Bermudez has insisted her son killed himself after being constantly bullied at Dunaire and that she had complained to school officials several times. “My conclusion is there is no evidence of bullying at Dunaire,” said Moore, whom the school district brought in to oversee an internal review. “There is name-calling and teasing, but it is almost always done outside of any adult [being present]. There is a code of silence among the students.” More than a dozen people showed up to hear the findings at the school district’s headquarters on North Decatur Road near Clarkston, and reaction was swift and harsh. One man was forcibly removed from the building after he started shouting, “Shame!”

Six of Jaheem's teachers signed a statement saying that they had witnessed no bullying and that Jaheem appeared to be well-liked. The Herrera family is proceeding with a civil suit against the school district.

(Tipped by JMG reader Richard)

Georgia: DA Considering Charges In Bullied-To-Death Case

The district attorney's office Dekalb County, Georgia is investigating the case of 11 year-old bullying victim Jaheem Herrera to determine if criminal charges can be filed.

DeKalb County DA Gwen Keyes Fleming said she cannot promise that anyone will be prosecuted. "Really what we're trying to get an understanding on what the law is and what the facts are, and see how the two merge and how any kind of criminal activity can be put together from the two -- and right now I can't answer that until we look into it a little bit more," Keyes Fleming said. She said she will need the dates and times of bullying incidents at Jaheem's school -- along with the names of anyone involved. Questions attorneys for the family may be able to answer. "I know it's not a formal investigation yet, but we believe that once she looks into it, in Georgia there are certain laws that call someone to be a mandatory reporter in incidents of crime and we believe that there was at least one crime perpetrated in this bullying incident," said the family's attorney, Gerald Griggs. While criminal liability may be a long shot, civil liability for the little boy's suicide may not be. Especially if the school failed to report any acts of violence against him or others.

I'm not aware of anybody being successfully prosecuted for anti-gay bullying that resulted in a suicide. While the likelihood of that happening in Jaheem's case appears slim (judging by the DA's words), one very likely result of the investigation will be that school administrators around that nation will step up their enforcement of anti-bullying rules. Nothing speaks like potential jail time and the threat of the multi-million dollar judgement. From tragedy, progress.

(Via - Rod 2.0)