5th Grade Commits Suicide After Being Bullied by Teacher, Sparking Concerns

A 5th-grade student committed suicide after allegedly being bullied by his teacher, sparking concerns about the significant impacts of bullying.

The victim, identified as a 10-year-old boy from Florida, died two years ago, and his parents have now filed a lawsuit against the Marion County School Board on Monday. The student was Louis Johnson, who was allegedly bullied by his teacher, Dawn White.

Student Commits Suicide After Being Bullied by Teacher

The teacher allegedly bullied the Legacy Elementary School student and recruited other kids to bully him as well. The recently filed lawsuit claims that White called the 5th-grader "stupid" and said that he "didn't know anything."

White allegedly told the victim that he didn't know why he was talking because he didn't even know anything. He supposedly added that the student did not know anything in his class, and then asked the rest of the class to support him.

The 5th-grade student's parents said that they reported the teacher's actions to the school board and the school itself but nothing was done. They also claim that because of the negligence of the school board, the teacher caused Johnson to suffer depression and anxiety, according to WECT.

The report concluded that the teacher chronically inflicted psychological distress on many students by "verbally insulting, humiliating, and embarrassing" them. Shortly after the 5th-grade student's death, Johnson's parents went to their son's school and passed out "Suicide Prevention" flyers, which also included allegations against White.

The incident prompted an investigative report into White, which started in 2023 and involves more than two dozen student witnesses. They were interviewed regarding the teacher's behavior in class, as they were all in the same room as Johnson.

There was also another case of suicide where a second-year MBBS student from India died on Sunday morning at GMC Jammu boys hostel. The student was found to have been from the Mendhar area of Poonch district, Greater Kashmir reported.

Tragic Incidents

Principal GMC Jammu, Dr. Ashutosh Gupta, confirmed the death of the student via suspected suicide. He added that law enforcement authorities registered a case and an investigation has already been started.

In Tippecanoe County, the coroner also identified the victim of the suicide investigation at the Northwestern Parking garage in Indiana as 25-year-old student Austin Davis Fisher. Police were called to the garage at about 8:15 a.m. after someone reported seeing an individual hang himself outside.

The student was found to be from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and worked at Wiley Dining Court. He was also an undergrad student who was majoring in cybersecurity, as revealed by Purdue spokesperson Trevor Peters, as per the Purdue Exponent.