9-Year-Old Boy Found Hanged at School, Perhaps "Bullied Too Much"
Montana Lance was "Bullied Too Much," According to a Friend
Police are investigating the circumstances of Montana Lance's death but do not foresee charges being made. School officials have refused to comment, citing privacy policies. Counselors were at the school Friday for parents and students to help cope with the tragic incident. The Associated Press reported that counselors would be made available though the following week.
Still, some question why the boy was left alone long enough to have hung himself. KTVT-TV asked a school district spokesperson why Montana Lance was left unsupervised for so long at school but they refused to comment on the matter.
Others want to know why someone so young would take their own life. According to statistics from the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were only 33 suicides among children ages 5-9 between 1999 and 2006.
A friend of Lance's believes that he was the victim of bullying. "He was just bullied too much," Keeley Blackwell told KTVT. "Some of the things that people would say were harsh."
Although district officials have been quick to deny that bullying might be involved, it is something that must be considered. Montana Lance's death comes close on the heels of another suicide of a young person, albeit that of a 15-year-old. Just seven days prior to Lance's death, Phoebe Prince hanged herself after enduring "incessant" teasing, taunting, and harassment, much of it on Facebook.
Bullying has been part of the national dialogue for some time but seems to have become something of greater concern in recent years due to parents speaking out and greater recognition of the long-term detrimental ramifications of the problem. In April 2009 the parents of 11-year-old Jaheem Herrera took their story to the media after he was found hanged at home in a bedroom closet. His story ran for weeks on CNN and other media outlets as his family insisted that it be known that the fifth-grader had been taunted throughout the day he hanged himself. Family members said that they had made repeated complaints to school officials about Jaheem's treatment at school.
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Sources:
KDKA.com
ABCNews.go.com
FoxNews.com
Published by Saul Relative
WVU graduate, with degrees in History, English, Secondary Education, Computer Programming, and Psychology (and nearly a degree in Political Science). Originally from West Virginia, with stints in Virginia,... View profile
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16 Comments
Post a Commentthis is sad and i know who bullied him and i shun him every time i see him cuze he has bulllied me told story that wornt true about me i tout of hanging my self from him to but i got over it and just thout i was better i wish montana would have did wat i did:(
I was bullied throughout elementary school to the point where I tried to commit suicide. I am a normal girl, just new to the school and for that I was made a spectical. It really upsets me how cruel children can be towards one another. I thank God that he was watching over me and I got the counseling I needed back then.
Now having a 10 year old, I speak to him DAILY about respecting others. He doesn't have to like them, but he must respect them. Unless he needs to defend himself. I showed my son the scars on my wrists. This isn't a joke. All parents should speak to their children about this issue. And for the ppl. for ridicule and torment the weak.... you will pay for it. Karma will catch up for sure.
God bless these kids who thought the only solution was to end their lives. May God have mercy on them.
this is so sad i cant believe people would bulling people to this extent
DO NOT POST INFORMATION ABOUT THE GIRLS ON ANY WEBSITE. Wrong information is being put out there and my family members are being harassed and threatened because of it. Stop the bullying and stop posting information about people. It's disgusting.
These girls mocked Phoebe in death on Facebook after they drove her to it: Ashley Longe, Shannon Charon, Flannery Mullins & Kayla Narey. Post their names on every comment board you can so their reputations can be preserved by the internet.
Very sad.
This is sad, very very sad.
I have three boys 7, 11, and 12. I have told them from day one of school to not put up with bullies. I have been to school numerous times because of my boys standing up for themselves or someone else. If the schools won't do anything about it my boys will. It has to stop and stop now.
This saddens me, my son is just shy of 7 and to think someone so young doing this, it's horrible. Words can be very cruel and dangerous. Thanks for this... :o)
sad indeed