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Bullied Teen Seth Walsh Dies After Suicide Attempt. Should the School be Blamed?
Thirteen year old Seth Walsh, a gay teen from Tehachapi, Calif., died yesterday afternoon after spending nine days on life support after attempting suicide by hanging himself from a tree in the back yard. The reason he wanted to end his life: Bullying at school.
Students have come forward and admitted they knew Seth was being bullied. Many are now pointing their fingers at school officials, claiming they did nothing to stop the kids from picking on Seth. But is this fair or is this scapegoating?
Bullying at school and teen suicide is very sad, but it is nothing new. It’s common and it’s been going on for years and many children have lost their lives to it. Schools do what they can but their main job is to educate children, not police them 24-7. When the bell rings bullying does not stop and kids can taunt each other continuously and in their homes via the Internet.
Not every child who is bullied commits suicide. Someone, whether it be school officials, parents, or friends, should note warning signs and get kids psychological help. The blame alone should not rest on the shoulders of the school. If any lesson can be learned from this it is for schools and parents to spend time educating about bullying, teen suicide, coping methods, and informing kids of resources where they can receive help.
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12 Comments
Bill commented on Sep 29 10 at 12:03 pmCollectively, heterosexuals in general are responsible for this child’s death.
jld commented on Sep 29 10 at 4:38 pmOkay Maralee…… if you think the schools have no responsibility to stop bullying at school, then lets do away with workman compemsation in the work place!!!!!!
Chris "Little Big Man" commented on Sep 29 10 at 6:57 pmI’m against bullying period I was born with dwarfism and I know about bullying.My point is that schools need to take this situation alot more serious.I’m a very positive person so it’s not about standing 4’4”. Just about the factor of RESPECT!! G.R.I.D. Got Respect? I Do! http://www.chrishollyfield.com
Yogin commented on Sep 29 10 at 7:40 pmIf thats the attitude schools have, give the child a weapon and show him how to use it. I mean why not, nothing can be done about it right? Give me a F_____ break!
Dawn commented on Sep 29 10 at 7:42 pmThis boy was my niece’s very close friend!! I agree that the schools need to do something about Bullying…but what about the kids that were bullying Seth??? There is more to the story than is here…and those kids need to take some responsibility…and at least learn and KNOW… how bad that WORDS CAN HURT!!!!!!
Seth will forever be remembered as the sweet, kind and bright young man that he was!!
My prayers go out to Seth’s family and friends!!
kayla commented on Sep 30 10 at 9:48 amthis is such crap, im a 15 year old that deals with the same stuff. ive tried to kill myself ive been in the psych ward. but honestly this blog or whatever is pathetic. the teachers might be there to educate, but they can also be there to protect kids from this. they want to educate so damn bad, maybe they should educate a little more on bullying. NO ONE deserves to be bullied to the point of death. whoever does the bullying is basically the murderer. weather they killed themselves or not, it doesnt matter. its the kids who put him through all the shit he couldnt deal with fault. this generation is beyond help.
William commented on Sep 30 10 at 7:03 pmIts extremely ignorant to say heteros are responsible for this death, when in fact its a collection of things, for one who raised these bullies? why didnt his parents do anything? etc…cmon now ppl its time to start excepting this lifestyle whether you consent to it or not…
Kevin D. Meldrum (Scotland) commented on Oct 01 10 at 1:59 pmQuote taken from above text.”Students have come forward and admitted they knew Seth was being bullied.”.
Collectively everyone that knew Seth, or knows anyone in similar circumstances, should make others aware of what is happening long before such a tragedy can ever occur again.
Those simple minded idiotic cowards involved should hang their heads in shame.
My heartfelt sympathy and deepest sorrow to Seth’s family and all his friends.
May his death be the beginning of the end of bullying.
Steve commented on Oct 01 10 at 2:15 pmI’m not sure of the circumstances that lead to Seth Walsh’s death but I will tell you this I work for the School district in question and this is a horrible place. My daughter was sexual assaulted and harassed by a teacher in this district in 07 when I reported it to the High school Principal Cary Johnson nothing was done. I went to the Superintendent and again nothing was done. I emailed all the board members not once but twice and never got an answer back they ignored my emails and calls. Because I am an employee of this district I tried to give them a chance to take care of the issue but all they did was write me up saying I was violating confidentiality. I went to the local police and the principal told them I was a disgruntled employee and knew about it for several months and didn’t report it. This was a complete lie the day I found out was the same day it was reported to the principal Cary Johnson. The teacher in question just happened to be best friends with one of the school board members this is a very small town and people here tend to protect each other no matter how bad the issues may be. I found out that two other families turned this teacher in for the same thing one of them went to the news and the superintendents was asked about it and in our case he told them that the district had looked into our complaint and found nothing of substance. When we reported this to the district they told the teacher of our complaint but didn’t anything to him other than give him a write up saying he needed to refrain from touching students in the future. He thought he got away with it and started to harass my daughter and myself he told other teacher that we made it all up and the principal backed him up. That’s when I had enough and went to the US Dept of Education office for civil rights they opened up an investigation and found that the district was at fault the OCR was here in our town for three days taking statements from everyone involved and they even spoke with other student to see if maybe they to have had any issues with the teacher and the district and found out that there had been other student who had reported this guy but nothing was ever done. Because the public found out about this guy they moved him from the classroom to the district office were he now has his own office and is working there. For the last three years this district has harassed my daughter every chance they get they have tried to fired me more than once. We have a pending law suit in federal court against the district and several others. You might ask why the district would do this well my only guess is that when all this was going on the high school had applied for the California Distinguished School award and they didn’t want to do anything that might cause them to lose that award so they covered up the whole thing and the fact that this teacher had been teaching here for many years and was good friends with the Administration. But as school employees we are here for the kids not our own personal gain. The principal Cary Johnson has since moved on to another school El Dorado High in the Placentia –Yorba Linda Unified School District in southern California so if you have a kid who attends there beware of this guy he tells one lie after another. It’s a very sad day when a young man takes him own life because of bullying. Ours schools are supposed to help these kids and in this small town they seem to care more about sports than trying to teach this kid that is ok to be different. People here are afraid to speak out against anyone for fear of retaliation and the only time you hear from them is when something like tragic like this happens So when the school district says it does every thing it can to prevent this kind of thing from happening I don’t believe them. I also would like to mention that the grand mother of this young man was one of the school board members I emailed and never heard back from R.I.P Seth had I of know of the bullying I would have been there for you
Millie commented on Oct 02 10 at 6:38 amFOR ALL THOSE WHO ARE BEING BULLIED, TEASED, OR PUSHED AWAY:
YOU are a precious human being and do not deserve to be teased or bullied!!! Don’t let Bullies rob us of YOU! Adults and children are bullied, picked on, teased and ostracized (purposely pushed away) due to many reasons, be it race, color of skin, eyes, hair, creed, religious preferences, height, weight, mental and physical limitations or deformities, health, personal skill levels, education/grades, credentials, financial status, and the list goes on. Compassion is what is needed here, not condemnation. WORDS DO HURT! I apologize and am deeply sorry for the insensitive remarks of people who do not know the pain and suffering you are enduring due to the terribly cruel words that have been spoken to you. YOU are here for a reason! YOU need YOU. Your family needs YOU, your friends need YOU, and YOU have much to offer this world, especially by your presence here! Please disregard the words or deeds of the few misguided people in the world who do not yet know how to treat their fellow man (or woman). Don’t let Bullies rob US of something of GREAT VALUE: YOU!This message came too late for Seth, but his passing, tragic as it is, will be a wake-up call for the people of this community, this nation, and hopefully world-wide, to put a stop to bullying. We all need to watch for the signs of bullying and to protect those who are being bullied, and stop those who are doing the bullying!
And to Seth’s Family: our family’s prayers are with you all during this incredible time of loss. Seth will be remembered as being the bubbly, happy young man that he was, and for that, you should be proud!
sal commented on Oct 12 10 at 3:29 pmi would’ve loved him
Just Me commented on Oct 16 10 at 2:44 pmOk, saying that “heterosexuals in general are responsible for this child’s death” is another example of prejudice. I’m a Christian who believes that the homosexual lifestyle is immoral, but I don’t hate gay ppl & I am NOT ok w/ bullying or violence toward gay ppl. I have a really good gay friend. He knows what I believe, but we’re still friends. One of my best friends is an atheist. She knows I believe she’s wrong, but we’re still best friends. The idea that ppl who believe certain lifestyles are wrong are hateful ppl is another example of assumptions being made and treated as fact.
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