IN - Sammy Teusch, 10, bullied up until night he died, Greenfield, 5 May 2024

[imstilla.grandma]

Sadly, Sammy’s parents, Sam and Nichole Teusch, said he died by suicide on May 5.

According to the family, the 10-year-old fourth grader was being bullied up until the night he died.

Family members said the bullying started last year and what started as words, eventually turned physical.

Sammy’s parents said they contacted their son’s school 20 times regarding the bullying.

“They can’t just say they have zero tolerance because that doesn’t mean there is zero tolerance about bullies, their zero tolerance means that they don’t have responsibility for it. People trust their kids to the school, but now that trust is breaking down,” Sammy’s grandmother, Cynthia Teusch, said.

However, according to the superintendent of schools, Dr. Harold Olin, there was no bullying report ever submitted by the parents or the student.

He also said the school’s administrators and counselor had regular conversations with the family throughout the year, though he couldn’t share the content of those conversations.

Sammy’s family said the bullying progressed from school and the bus to places like Snapchat, even despite him having limited access to his phone.

10-year-old boy dies by suicide; parents say they called the school 20 times about bullying

Parents of a fourth grader say they lost their son due to relentless bullying at school.

www.wlbt.com

 

[tlcya]

“I held him in my arms,” his dad, Sam Teusch, told WTHR. “I did the thing no father should ever have to do, and any time I close my eyes, it’s all I can see.”

Sammy’s parents, Sam and Nichole, said they complained to the school roughly 20 times about the bullying that started last year when he was in elementary school.

“They were making fun of him for his glasses in the beginning, then on to make fun of his teeth. It went on for a long time,” his dad said.
[snip]
“He was beat up on the school bus, and the kids broke his glasses and everything,” he said.

“I called the school, and I’m like, ‘What are you doing about this? It keeps getting worse, and worse, and worse,'” the dad claimed.
Indiana boy, 10, kills himself after suffering horrific bullying — parents say they complained to school 20 times

I suspect the parents were reaching out to the school about bullying but those attempts at resolution were not recorded by the school as such

Dr. Harold Olin was approached by the outlet for an interview and said he was unavailable, but claimed no bullying report had ever been submitted by the family.

Olin added that administrators at the school had conversations with the family throughout the year but wouldn't share the content of these conversations.
[snip]

Greenfield-Central Community School said in a statement: 'The death of Samuel Teusch is tragic, and it has left our school corporation and larger community in tremendous grief. Our hearts pour out to the family at this time.

'Sammy was a student in Greenfield-Central for the last year and a half. He finished his 3rd grade year at Weston Elementary School in May of 2023, and he was a 4th grade student at Greenfield Intermediate School during the current 2023-24 school year.

'We were made aware of his death on Sunday afternoon, and we dispatched our crisis response team to both Greenfield Intermediate School and Greenfield Central Junior High School (where he has two siblings) to start the week.

'Our staff in Greenfield-Central has worked with the Teusch family quite a bit over the last 18 months. Contact between school personnel and the parents was frequent.

'The parents did report the manner of death as a suicide, and we are investigating their claims related to bullying.

'While the investigation continues, we are primarily focusing our resources on meeting the immediate needs of the students we serve in Greenfield-Central Schools.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13420921/boy-kills-bullying-died-grandma-school-sammy-teusch.html

 

[tlcya]

Boy, 10, kills himself after suffering horrific bullying

I can't imagine how dejected, helpless, and hopeless a 10 year old child must feel to end his own life.

 

[loreet]

This will be controversial, but — completely IMO — the parents of the bullies deserve to bear some responsibility in the bullying behavior of their own children. Maybe the parents should have been notified of their children’s behavior by the school and then given an opportunity to correct the behavior?

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

how can the district admin say with one breath the parents never reported bullying, and in the next breath report on the numerous contacts they had between the school/counselors and the parents.

Semantics here or wth

No much out yet so I should sit on my hands but this is, once again, outrageous. I'mma go be outraged now, for SAMMY

no 10 year old kid should feel like this is an answer to anything

 

[imstilla.grandma]

*incredibly sad, Sammy, I am so very sorry you felt so tormented.

 

[Owlpellet]

It's really tragic. I'm wondering how he killed himself and how it's known that the bullying was the reason he killed himself. Did he leave a message?

 

[HMSHood]

This will be controversial, but — completely IMO — the parents of the bullies deserve to bear some responsibility in the bullying behavior of their own children. Maybe the parents should have been notified of their children’s behavior by the school and then given an opportunity to correct the behavior?

I agree. It often starts at home. It is a vicious cycle. Many end up criminals. Jodi Arias, Harvey Weinstein, Jimmy Savile, Eric Harris, Nikolas Cruz, Omar Mateen, Adolf Hitler, and Joseph Stalin have history of bullying.

 

[loreet]

The pictures I’ve seen of Sammy are so full of his light. I am so very sorry for his family’s loss. But also for the rest of us. Who knows what he could have done or been in the world? And how tragic that future has been lost to all of us.

His father was quoted in a people article (linked below) saying:
“… I think the only way the world is going to be fixed is if we fix it through the children.”
Which is very much at the core of what I believe. I thought Sammy’s father’s interview was very beautiful.

10-Year-Old Killed Himself After Being Relentlessly Bullied, Dad Says: Now Family Fights for Change

Sammy Teusch died by suicide after intense bullying in Greenfield, Indiana, his dad says, and the family is now fighting to create change and prevent more tragedy

people.com