By Sophia Eppolito -
The Associated Press
The family of a 10-year-old girl who committed suicide has accused a Utah school district, which was recently reprimanded by the Justice Department for failing to address widespread racist discrimination, of failing to do enough to protect their daughter who, according to them, she
was harassed for being black and autistic
.
Salt Lake City police confirmed they are investigating Isabella Tichenor's death, which occurred over the weekend, as a suicide.
His passing has caused a great commotion in his community, including Donovan Mitchell, star of the NBA team Utah Jazz, who called the case "sick."
Brittany Tichenor-Cox, center, accompanied by her sister Jasmine Rhodes, right, talks about her daughter Izzy Tichenor during a memorial vigil for the girl November 9, 2021 in North Salt Lake, Utah. Leah Hogsten / The Salt Lake Tribune via AP
Tyler Ayres, a lawyer representing Tichenor's family, said the girl was harassed by a small group of students who yelled racist slurs at her, told her she smelled bad and made fun of her for being autistic.
The family reported the harassment suffered by their daughter to teachers, school administrators and district authorities, but allege that nothing was done to stop the harassment.
"We were not shocked by [the behavior of] the children," Ayres said in a telephone interview, "we were shocked by [the behavior of] the adults who decided not to do anything about it.
The adults who were in charge there should have set aside these children
. "
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The family is "
completely devastated
" and concerned about the girl's younger siblings, who attend the same school and have suffered similar harassment.
Davis School District spokeswoman Shauna Lund said the elementary school the girl attended "worked extensively with the family" and that management responded appropriately to reports of bullying.
"We, like all of us, are devastated by the death of this child," Lund said in a statement, "our hearts go out to the family. Foxboro Elementary School has worked extensively with the family and will continue to provide assistance to them and others affected. for this tragedy. "
Several hundred people held a vigil Tuesday night to remember the girl.
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His death comes a couple of weeks after a federal civil rights investigation found
widespread racial harassment of
black and Asian-American students
in the Davis School District
, including hundreds of documented cases of racial slurs in the past five years.
Black students across the district told investigators that they were bullied by white and non-black students, who called names at them, referred to them as monkeys or apes, and said their skin was dirty or looked like faeces.
The students also made monkey-like sounds to their black companions, continually mentioning slavery, and saying phrases like "go pick cotton" or "you're my slave."
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District officials admitted to federal investigators that their disciplinary data for at least four years revealed that
staff treated students of color differently
from white students, but that nothing was done to correct it.
The district acknowledged in a statement that the investigation revealed incidents that "
were not handled properly
" and promised to resolve any prior complaints.
Black and Asian American students respectively represent 1% of the approximately 73,000 students enrolled in the district north of Salt Lake City.
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Jeanetta Williams, president of the tristate conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in the Idaho-Utah-Nevada area, said she wanted to know more details of the research before doing any valuation.
However, he assured that this tragic case
illustrates that bullying is a serious and widespread problem in Utah and throughout the country
.
"It's time for everyone to look at their situation within their school district and make sure that they are properly addressing bullying, that they are properly addressing discrimination and that they make sure that all students feel safe," he added. Williams.
If you, your children or someone you know is involved in a situation of bullying or school bullying, know that you are not alone: you can seek help
on this website in Spanish
or call the phone number 1-888-628- 9454]