DeKalb school's final report: Bullying not key factor in boy's death

Report cites 'serious domestic abuse' in the home as another primary reason

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By Kristina Torres

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

DeKalb County school officials on Wednesday released a final report on the suicide of 11-year-old Jaheem Herrera, saying his death could not be attributed solely to “a simplistic case of bullying.”

Shortly after Jaheem Herrera hanged himself in April, friends posted a memorial to him on the door where he lived. A vigil in his memory was also held.

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“The investigation reveals a multitude of complex and significant factors impacting” his life, the report said, including “serious domestic abuse” between Jaheem’s mother and her boyfriend.

This marks the first time family violence has been mentioned as a possible factor in the boy’s emotional state.

Jaheem hanged himself at home April 16.

His mother, Masika Bermudez, has insisted Jaheem killed himself after being constantly bullied at Dunaire Elementary School in Stone Mountain.

Attorney Gerald Griggs, the family’s spokesman, said past domestic violence incidents against Bermudez have no bearing on the case. System officials, he said, are purposely trying to divert attention away from problems at the school.

“I would hope they’d do the responsible thing and take responsibility” for what caused Jaheem to take his own life, Griggs said. “The evidence is out there. We have witnesses, including school teachers.”

But so does retired Fulton Superior Court Judge Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore, who DeKalb officials hired to lead an investigation into Bermudez’s allegations.

Moore has previously talked about her preliminary findings, which were made public in May. But the report released Wednesday is the first written account of Moore’s complete investigation.

Much of it documents her previous finding that Jaheem was not repeatedly bullied at school and that school officials acted appropriately when fights involving Jaheem were brought to their attention.

Moore said Jaheem’s teachers, school staff and the principal dispute claims by Bermudez that she complained repeatedly about bullying. By most accounts, Jaheem seemed well-liked at school and had a B average in class.

He attended four schools in as many years, including stops in Gwinnett County and at a school on St. Croix. He enrolled at Dunaire in August 2008 after his family moved to an extended-stay motel within its attendance zone.

Students interviewed by Moore told her they believed Jaheem was not called names or teased any more or less than other students. But Moore noted that students tended to tease and call each other names behind teachers’ backs.

Among her recommendations, she said DeKalb officials should create a new complaint process for parents that would give them a chance to detail concerns and provide school officials a written record and starting point.

Moore also documented domestic violence and other charges against Norman Keene, Bermudez’s live-in boyfriend. The incidents occurred in the family’s native St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands and in Georgia, including one against Bermudez in August 2006.

Griggs has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Bermudez alleging negligence by Dunaire school officials. Griggs said Wednesday that the suit is continuing and that he is trying to involve federal officials in the case.