Gay teen’s suicide spurs review of bullying policy

The time to act is now; The Prevention Team is in the process of providing our specialized anti-bullying techniques across the nation and we find ourselves pushing to make it to
ASHLAND CITY, Tenn. where in the weeks since an openly gay teenager killed himself, the reaction in this Tennessee town has included petition drives to examine the anti-bullying policy in the local schools and a tense public meeting to discuss suicide prevention efforts.

Jacob Rogers shot himself on Dec. 7.

He wrote about family in the notes he left behind before his death, but there was no mention of bullying, authorities said.

However, a friend told The Tennessean that Rogers was an almost daily target for name-calling at Cheatham County Central High School.

"It was like every day, every class," said 18-year-old Kaelynn Mooningham.

Friends and family question whether the school did enough to protect Rogers, and if the district’s anti-bullying policy is too lenient for students who do harm...Read Full Story

School bullying: Did district miss cries for help?

Didn't anyone notice what was happening to Jamarcus Bell?

Didn't any students, teachers or administrators see pieces of metal thrown at the 14-year-old during a welding class? Didn't they hear the painful anti-gay slurs thrown at him in the hallways?

Wasn't his suicide attempt in the seventh grade -- when he was found alive, hanging from a noose in a janitor's closet -- a clear sign to educators or fellow students that this kid was having problems?

Apparently not, according to his mother, who has filed a federal lawsuit against Hamilton Southeastern Schools alleging negligence in a tragic situation that ended in October 2010 when Jamarcus -- called Marcus by friends -- hung himself a second, and final, time. Read The Prevention Team Featured Story today for more information.