We hear all too often about students committing suicide due to being bullied at school, with many of those stories being punctuated by the fact that the school did little to nothing to intervene or help. Such was the case, allegedly, with high school senior Jacob Hancock (18), who took his own life on January 21, 2010 in Fountain Green, Utah. Jacob was allegedly the target of physical and emotional abuse from students and school district employees for more than five years. According to KSL.com in Utah, Jacob’s parents are now suing their son's school district for wrongful death, alleging negligence and harassment on the part of district officials.
abc4 in Utah reports:
"… the harassing conduct was so prevalent and obvious that the responsible adults must have known, and indeed, witnesses it," the lawsuit contends. "J.H.'s actions in taking his own life were a foreseeable result of the defendant's tortious acts."
It's not clear why Jacob Hancock was a target, but court papers say the bullying and harassment began with gay slurs from three other male students while Hancock was in the eighth grade.
A memorial facebook page for Jacob was created over at Rest In Peace Jacob Hancock aka "Red".
Also see:
- Autistic child bullied, beaten, and videotaped by school-mates
- School yard fight takes vicious turn as 1 teen gets airlifted to Shock Trauma
- Full 4-year scholarships available at Antioch College: Deadline to apply Feb. 15
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