Being Bullied Kills!

Ashlynn Conner, a 10 year-old girl from Ridge Farm, Illinois allegedly commits suicide because of bullying. Ashlynn Connor was attending fifth grade at Ridge Farm Elementary.  In the reports, her mother, Stacy Conner, told reporters that Ashlynn was called a slut, told she was fat, and was called ugly.  Ashlynn asked her mom to be home schooled. However, her mom denied her request and later, Ashlynn’s sister found her hanging dead in her closet from a scarf. Ashlynn’s mother told reporters that the taunting has been happening for years now and as a single mother she didn’t know what to do about the bullying. Stacy and Ashlynn did talk about bullying before the tragedy happened but Ashlynn didn’t tell her mother how bad the bullying was. Stacy Conner said, “I thought my kids were strong. That my words to them for guidance and advice would have more weight than what these kids were saying. I was wrong.”  In 2001 an Anti-Bullying Act was passed in Illinois, but sadly it was not enough to keep poor Ashlynn from committing suicide.  The Anti-Bullying act in Illinois prohibits bullying in the school environment on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, disabilities, sexual orientation, and many others you may read in the bullying laws in Illinois. It requires each school district to create and maintain a policy on bullying. The policy must be communicated to students and parent or guardian annually, updated every 2 years and filed with the State Board of Education. To better prevent bullying in schools, a representative should come in and speak to the kids and explain some scenarios that bullying victims experience. They should explain that suicide is never the answer and that there are other options, such as talking to a trusted adult or counselor. This way they can understand what is happening so it can be taken care of and stopped so it does not go to the extreme of Ashlynn’s case. Bullying is not just verbal abuse, it can also be physical. Ashley Billasano, 18, tweeted 144 times over six hours, of allegedly being molested by a family member and being forced into prostitution before taking her own life. Another young kid, Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14 year-old gay teenager, committed suicide because of alleged bullying. Bullying should not happen at all. It’s sad how many individuals commit suicide each year to get away from their problems.  I know what these families and friends went through with losing the victim. On March 31, 2011, a tragedy struck the West family along with many of his good friends. Late at night on March 31, 2011, Mike West decided he had enough with what he was going through and couldn’t take it anymore and took his own life. I do not know the reason he decided it was him time to go, but it was hard on all of us including his 8 year old daughter he left behind.  Mike left behind suicide notes, but no one knew the exact reason for him taking his own life. I don’t understand how and when things can escalate to the measures of committing suicide and leaving your entire life behind.