Shock in the US for the suicide of a 10-year-old girl victim of bullying at her school

When her 10-year-old daughter tried to spray herself with air freshener one morning before school, Brittany Tichenor-Cox suspected something was wrong with the adorable little girl whose smile faded after entering fifth grade.

It is about Isabella “Izzy” Tichenor, who was autistic and the only black student in her classroom.

Isabella was insulted because of her skin color, her eyebrows and a mole on her forehead, her mother said.

Tichenor-Cox informed the teacher, the school, and the district about the bullying. Nothing was done to improve the situation, he said. And on November 6 at her home near Salt Lake City, Izzy committed suicide.

Her shocking death sparked a wave of anger over youth suicides, racism in the classroom, and the treatment of children with autism – issues that have been emphasized due to racial awareness and the renewed emphasis on student mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Utah, the suicide also heightened questions about the Davis School District, which was recently reprimanded by the Justice Department for failing to take action against racial profiling.

The district, where black and Asian American students make up about 1% of around 73,000 students, initially defended its handling of the bullying allegations, but later opened an external investigation that is ongoing.

“When I was crying out for help to get someone to do something, nobody helped her,” Tichenor-Cox said this week during an interview with The Associated Press. “It hurts to know that my baby was bullied all day throughout the school, from the moment I dropped her off until I picked her up.”