Peabody, Ma Middle Student Death, allegations of bullying – NBC Boston

The students of the Higgins Middle School in Peabody, Massachusetts, organized a strike on Tuesday and sang the name of a deceased classmate who tragically committed suicide in the early Saturday morning.

The family of 14-year-old Jason Bernard said he was victim of bullying.

While the advisors for students were available on Monday, many parents and parishioners believe that the support is not sufficient and that the school administration has illuminated the consequences of Jason's death.

Elizabeth Mover, a parent Peabody and President of Peabody's special Education Parent Advisory Council, expressed the frustration of many students.

“You have the feeling that your voices are not heard and you want to do something and you don't know what to do,” said Mover. “Our students need a positive learning environment and if they go to school, they are petrified to go to school and they feel intimidated by a tyrant in class, maybe this is not a positive learning environment.”

If you or someone you know 988lifeline.org. You can also visit Respecttofsuicide.com/resources For additional support.

Mover, whose son visited the Higgins Middle School with Jason, remembered him as a “calm, respectful child”. She emphasized the administration's reaction to the tragedy.

“The school's approach to become normal again is the wrong approach,” said Mover. “Nothing will be normal for these children for a very long time.”

The Uvalde Foundation for children, a non -profit organization founded to prevent violence at school, has announced that it initiates its own investigation of the incident and asks the state to intervene. According to Mover, the concerns of parents about bullying within the school system are widespread.

“I heard from countless families to bullying in our schools from primary schools to high school level,” said Mover. “Parents who have spoken or mentioned something – they do not feel supported by the district. They are not of the opinion that the corresponding channels were examined, and there was a lot of lost trust in our community and among the school officers.”

The mayor of Peabody, Ted Bettencourt, addressed the community with a robo call at the beginning of this week and recognized the profound grief of Jason's family and promised to hold a community meeting. Bettencourt and superintendent Josh Vadala did not respond to the inquiries from NBC10 Boston for comments.

Jason's death was only a few days after the Peabody School Committee voted for the increase in class sizes on the Higgin Middle School and the virtual school of the district had closed. The online option, Peabody Prep, had become a crucial safe space for many students who dealt with bullying and other personal challenges.

Jason's family pressed NBC10 Boston a wish for the school guidelines to be significantly changed.

The examination of Jason's death remains.