DeKalb DA to investigate fifth-grader’s suicide

DeKalb County’s district attorney plans to question parents and educators about the suicide of a fifth-grader whose family says the boy took his life because he was being bullied in school.

DA Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming has not opened a formal investigation but investigators want answers, spokeswoman Jada Hudspeth said Thursday. It is the first case of its kind during Keyes’ tenure, she added.

The DA’s office will talk to the parents of 11-year-old Jaheem Herrera and to school officials before making any decision as to how the case proceeds, Hudspeth said.

Karen Worthington, director of Emory University’s Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic, cautioned against a rush to judgment.

“Particularly when you have young children involved, it’s important to look at the entire circumstances around a tragic event to determine what the appropriate response is,” Worthington said. That includes taking a look at the children involved, the teachers and the school environment, she said.

“People need to take a step back and look at what’s going on,” she said.

Jaheem, who attended Dunaire Elementary School, hanged himself on April 16. His mother, Masika Bermudez, said she had complained to school officials about the bullying and taunts Jaheem endured. On one occasion, Jaheem was choked in the bathroom, she said.

In the wake of Jaheem’s suicide, other students’ parents have come forward to describe other alleged acts of violence at Dunaire. Some parents said their children were the victims of beatings with buckles and chokings.

DeKalb school officials said they cannot comment on individual students’ records.

The school system will review how its schools deal with bullying issues and how staff is trained because of the case’s seriousness, spokesman Dale Davis said.

“They will convene with the counseling staff to go over things and make sure protocol and policies are being followed,” Davis said. “It’s not just Dunaire. This type of situation warrants it for everyone.”

On Wednesday evening, DeKalb school board chairman Tom Bowen brought up the case as he called a public budget hearing to order.

Board members and school officials, he said, wanted “to offer condolences to the family and friends who are dealing with this.”

Jaheem’s suicide has reverberated nationally, given that it occurred within two weeks after an 11-year-old boy in Massachusetts hanged himself after apparently being bullied and taunted at school.

In both Jaheem’s case and the one in Massachusetts, family members said their children were taunted by being called gay, even though neither student was known to have been identified as gay.

The national Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network on Thursday referenced both deaths as it issued a call for federal officials to more forcefully address bullying in schools.

In Atlanta, the Faith and Community Alliance said it will hold a prayer vigil Tuesday on Jaheem’s behalf and issue a call for unity at the Tabernacle Baptist Church. The interfaith alliance says its mission is to advocate human and civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.