On February 6th, 2023, an 11 year old girl, Felicia LoAlbo- Melendez from New Jersey was found unresponsive in her school bathroom; information released later alleged that she had committed suicide due to bullying She was found in a stall by another student at F.W Holbein School in Mount Holly.
The school was aware of the bullying that she encountered well before her tragic passing. “She herself had written numerous emails to the administration detailing the events of her being bullied” said Felicia’s mom which she told NJ.com.
Being bullied is something many people in the world have experienced for decades and bullying statistics indicate bullying is just getting worse. According to CDC, nearly 14% of public schools in the U.S report that bullying is a discipline problem occurring nearly daily and reports of bullying are highest in middle school and high school. Most young kids and teenagers that commit suicide are victims of being bullied in school, and, unfortunately, Felicia among with many others became one of those victims.
The school was aware of this young girl being bullied and did nothing about it. The school did not take the right precautions. It is still unclear whether the bullying was physical or verbal but it occurred in school.
At the end of the day the bullying that occurred in the building is what caused this little girl to take her life, which is something no parent should go through. The feeling of losing a child is one of the biggest heartbreaks a parent can experience. The bullying was systematic and led by an 11 year old girl.
Felicia’s dad died days before she took her life; her mom was devastated. Felicia proposed to school officials in an email that they launch a “trauma club”, which students could use as a safe space to discuss stressors which her mom announced after Felicia passed on Facebook.
On February. 24, in tribute to her daughter, Elaina LoAlbo said “Felicia was a bright light who touched so many people – she was an old soul, wise beyond her short 11 years.” It is devastating for a parent to hear the heartbreaking news of their child committing suicide and so many parents in this world have been through that.
Felicia was found in the bathroom just 3 days after Adriana Olivia Kuch, a 14 year old freshman at Central Regional High School in Bayville NJ killed herself after being assaulted by classmates and receiving a taunting text about the brutal beat-down.
Sadly another victim of bullying from Alabama Nigel Shelby committed suicide after constant homophobic bullying on April 18, 2019. Shelby’s mother Camika said “Coming out at such a young age, it can be hard.”
No one knew he was being bullied to the point where he would want to take his life, his mom knew he was going through something but she never thought he’d do that. No parent is ever prepared for that.
The last thing Nigel said to his mother was the night before he committed suicide, he said “Mom, I’m going to do better in school. He kissed me and told me he loved me.”
When his mom returned home from work around 6 pm, she found her son dead. This traumatizing news left her devastated. She thought everything was okay. She wondered what changed from what he said to her last night. She described her child as “full of light” and so did many others.
Brianna Andoh, a sophomore at NHS, was asked in an interview with The Greyhound News what her opinion was on the case and what she thinks could have been done differently to prevent what happened to both Nigel and Felicia?
“I think this case is really sad because children deserve all the attention possible, they deserve to be heard and they need to be able to grow up in a stable environment. I think the school should have listened to her because they think bullying is a part of growing up, but they’re really teaching the kids that it’s okay to be negative towards each other and driving each other to the worst possible scenario, death.”
The most innocent people become victims of violence in this cruel world and the people responsible are not held accountable and do not receive enough punishment. Terrorizing someone to the point that they take their life is unacceptable and happens way too often. It doesn’t get enough attention nor is it taken care of properly.
