Maybe FLOTUS would be interested in looking into this sad case of literally bullying a fifth-grade girl to death in her own classroom!
The end of the story says, "No weapons were involved. Gang activity was not suspected, according to the report. The school district has suspended the other fifth-grade student involved in the fight. No arrests have been made and no criminal charges have been filed, the Sheriff’s Office said Thursday. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday to determine Raniya’s cause of death."
https://www.postandcourier.com/news/school-fight-death-of-sc-th-grader-raniya-wright-has/article_6a73dbd2-5155-11e9-9e36-77e614eb40fb.html
School-fight death of SC 5th-grader Raniya Wright has Walterboro residents seeking action
Mother says 10-year-old who died from fight was bullied, ‘nothing was done’
By Paul Bowers and Angie Jackson
Mar 28, 2019 Updated Mar 29, 2019
WALTERBORO — The schools of Colleton County must do more to address bullying and fights before another child dies, said some parents, aunts and uncles who were waiting in the shade outside the district office Thursday afternoon.
They were waiting for details on the death of fifth-grader Raniya Wright, a 10-year-old girl who died Wednesday after being involved in a fight Monday at Forest Hills Elementary School. But few specifics were offered as an investigation continues.
The school board met behind closed doors for 2½ hours Thursday with sheriff’s officers and legal counsel as community members outside grew increasingly impatient.
Some just wanted reassurance that nothing like Raniya’s death would happen again under the school district’s watch.
Raniya’s mother, Ashley Wright, told The Post and Courier in a phone interview Thursday that a student had been bullying her child and “nothing was done.”
School and law enforcement officials have not commented on whether bullying contributed to the fatal incident.
Wright said she planned to speak further about her daughter’s death once her family gets past the funeral service.
“But I am going to speak to everyone and answer everyone’s questions to get down to the bottom of this,” she said.
In a prepared statement after the meeting Thursday, District Superintendent Franklin Foster asked for community members to prevent the spread of rumors and to remain focused on students’ well-being.
“Our district remains committed to offering support to our students and staff through our guidance and counseling services,” Foster said.
Behavior problems
Several community members who were waiting outside the district office Thursday said they had heard from their children or other parents about fights and bullying incidents in the schools. They gave mixed accounts of how officials handled complaints.
Brittany Burns, 28, said her nephew’s school took appropriate action after he reported that students were bullying him on the bus. She said she hasn’t heard of any problems since.
Kathy Wright, who said she is no relation to Ashley or Raniya Wright, said the district has a tendency to suspend students for three to five days but then send them back into the classroom with little changed about their behavior. She said she was angry when she heard Monday that a child, Raniya, had to be airlifted out of town following a fight.
“I don’t care who bullied who. It never should have gotten to that point,” Kathy Wright said.
She said the size of Forest Hills Elementary may be a factor in behavior problems there.
The school had about 670 students last year, twice the size of other elementary schools in the district. State report card data also showed that one-third of the teachers in core classes at Forest Hills had fewer than four years of teaching experience, a far higher ratio than at other schools in the district.
Cynthia E. Salley, who has nieces and nephews in the school system, said the district has been failing to address long-term problems and fights between students. She said that’s particularly troubling when a child works up the courage to tell an adult she is being bullied.
“They’re telling the proper adults,” Salley said, “but the adults aren’t handling it.”
Still reeling
Some parents and neighbors gathered Thursday simply expressed shock.
“My God, what’s going on?” said Allen Jamison, 58, one of the first community members to arrive at the district office. “What’s happening to the children?”
Officials with the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office and the school district have so far declined to answer questions about the circumstances of the fight, citing an ongoing investigation.
[Moar at website]