13-Year-old Boy Commits Suicide After Experiencing Constant Bullying in School

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By Jo Anne Hubert , Parent Herald Mar 29, 10:22 am

Parents from Indiana mourned the loss of their 13-year-old son to suicide, and they claimed it was all because he was being bullied at his school.

His family described Terry Badger III as outgoing and kind. He loved baseball and dreamt of reaching the major leagues and playing for his favorite team, the St. Louis Cardinals. His uncle called him the "protector" and found him to have the "biggest heart out of anybody in his family."

However, despite all these good qualities, his parents told ABC News that their 13-year-old son suffered nonstop bullying at Covington Middle School, allegedly the reason he committed suicide last March 6.

"He was being made fun of all the time. [They] put him down, told him he was a loser. Told him he was fat and that he should kill himself. Kids told him he sucked at baseball. Every haircut he had they made fun of. Anything that kid did, they made fun of him," Robyn Badger, his mother, declared.

'They're kids,' a teacher said

His father, Terry Badger II, stated that he went to his son's school and met with school staff twice to discuss the bullying his son experienced from his classmates. However, in the most recent meeting six months ago, a teacher allegedly proclaimed that they could do nothing since "they're kids and we're teachers, and we can't control everybody."

The news outlet tried to email the teacher, but she refused to comment.

The school district has been reported to have hired outside investigators to probe the allegations of the boy's parents, WRTV reported.

Superintendent of the Covington Community School Corporation Brady Scott released a statement stressing that the district is "deeply saddened by the tragic loss" of their student.

Further, he assured the public that the investigation would come from a neutral party outside the school district and promised to be transparent with the findings as the law would allow.

Scott did not have a direct answer when asked about the teacher's comment that the boy's father revealed. He stated instead that the district ensures that staff and students are provided training, support, and guidance in detecting and preventing bullying.

He then reassured that "ANY allegation of bullying is taken seriously," and will be investigated.

Another Indiana student dies of suicide

Across central Indiana, another family and community came together for another child who also committed suicide, allegedly due to bullying at school.

According to Fox 59, an eighth-grader, whose name had not been released, from Shelbyville Middle School also died by suicide. The parents claimed the death was related to bullying. Other parents have also been coming forward with the same concerns - how their children were experiencing bullying in school.

Shelbyville Superintendent Dr. Matt Vance released a statement emphasizing that they did not receive any "documented bullying claims" in relation to the death of the eighth-grader.

Jose Rivera, the pastor at Grace Wesleyan Church in Shelbyville, and two other pastors gathered about a hundred people before the Shelbyville Middle School to pray for the school, the faculty, and the students.