Seriously, when is this going to end?
Another teen, 14-year-old Brandon Bitner from Pennsylvania, killed himself this week by stepping in fron of a tractor trailer after years of being taunted and bullied by his peers.
Bitner’s parents noticed he was missing at 3:45am and immediately called police for help. The roadway his body was found on was closed for three hours after the incident. They later found a note confirming he had taken his own life. In the note, Bitner revealed that he didn’t have it in him to endure another 4 years of being called a “faggot” and a “sissy” by his high school peers.
One of Brandon’s friends’ Takara Jo Folk wrote a letter to The Daily Item stating “It was because of bullying. It was not about race, or gender, but they bullied him for his sexual preferences and the way he dressed.” She said, “they wrongly accused him of [being gay].”
Another classmate, Emily, said “Anyone in our school who looks different is tortured.”
Even the principal of Bitner’s school is speaking out, insisting that things need to change:
“I’ve been questioning myself. We can’t be too conscientious. If we see a kid who seems to be hurting, we need to single them out [for help]. The fact they don’t report it doesn’t let us off the hook. We need to reach out to kids. We’re going to try and do a better job.”
Some of the blame does fall on principals, some of it falls on teachers, a lot of it falls on other children but most of it falls on parents. We need to teach our kids to treat other kids with respect but we also need to teach our kids that it’s okay to speak out if they’re the target of bullying.
So many kids have died this year from bullying. It’s a tragic trend and one that is quickly spiraling out of control.
We need more programs in schools, more awareness and more punishment for kids committing these hateful crimes.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Brandon’s family and friends.
Read more about Brandon’s story:
