Staten Island teen hangs self after Catholic school staff do nothing to stop bullying

[DonViejo]

A 13 -year-old boy in Staten Island, NY committed suicide this week after school officials did nothing to stop the incessant bullying he was subject to every day.

The New York Daily News said that Daniel Fitzpatrick left behind a heartbreaking letter in which he said he “gave up” on life and getting help after classmates at Holy Angels Catholic Academy in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn ruthlessly bullied him about his weight, grades and social awkwardness.

Fitzpatrick’s family said that their son tried to get help from teacher after teacher, but they — and the school principal — turned a blind eye and allowed other students to torment the boy. “I gave up,” he wrote in a suicide note. “The teachers…they didn’t do anything.”

Daniel was found by his sister on Thursday night, hanged by the neck in the family’s attic.

-snip-

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/08/staten-island-teen-hangs-self-after-catholic-school-staff-do-nothing-to-stop-bullying/

[In_The_Wind]

1. This is unforgivable! The school should have protected him from the bullies.

[Chasstev365]

2. So Sorry! Very "Christian" of Them

Prayers and thoughts are with the family. SHAME ALL ADULTS AT THAT SCHOOL!

[ananda]

3. Oh dear. That is so sad!

What was wrong with those people,
no caring souls at all!

[Warren DeMontague]

4. This shit needs to end.

Thankfully many institutions take it a lot more seriously than they used to. Apparently not this supposedly morally superior religious one, though.

[ailsagirl]

5. So tragic

[Brickbat]

6. This is heartbreaking.

[VMA131Marine]

7. Why did the parents not pull him out of the school ...

when it became apparent that the staff were indifferent? It sounds like they were aware of the problem but let him try to deal with it on his own.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

10. It is possible the parents did not know what was going on. Or at least not how bad it really was.

My older son was bullied in grade school, although not as badly as in this case.

I was almost totally unaware, because he didn't tell me about it. I only learned about it tangentally, after some incidents, and what another parent told me.

In my case we wound up taking that son from the public school to a private school after sixth grade, and the bullying completely disappeared.

The parent who told me about it, whose own son was being bullied, did not have the private school option, but did switch their son from the nearest middle school to another one to get away from the bullies, because NOTHING made a difference. Not reporting the bullying. Not meeting with the principal. Not talking to the parents of the student bullies.

I am eternally grateful we had the choice we had.

[smirkymonkey]

8. Heartbreaking!

Poor little child.

[KMOD]

9. My heart is broken.

Bullying is still a problem in most NY State schools. Most schools have policies on it, but they are not effectively enforced.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

11. That poor kid!

That was about the worst age group for bullying from when I a kid. Lots of raging hormones with kids jockeying for social position. I feel fortunate that I was skilled at "staying under the radar." Teachers didn't intervene enough back then either.

[Delmette]

12. My son and his friend were bullied in grade school 30 years ago.

When my son stepped in to defend his friend he was knocked down and kicked several times. Then one of the boys went into the school, saw my other son and hauled off and hit him. I went to the principal to make sure he knew about the incidence and to find out what would happen to the bullies. He shrugged his shoulders and asked what I thought would be punishment. I suggested they be held in detention. The principal didn't see any point to that. So I suggested that it would be an opportunity for the boys to write letters of apology to my sons. He didn't agree.

So I called the police to ask if this could be considered assault. I told the officer all that happened and he said it really wasn't assault but he could go talk to the boys and their parents. I could hear the slight smile in his voice as he said that. The office kept his word and visited each of the six boys. From then on all the boys stayed far away from my sons.

I can't imagine the police doing that today. I'm so very sorry for the child in the article and his family. Bullies are hard to stand up to and fight against.