‘THEY FAILED’

Grieving Parents Blame School for Suicide of 12-Year-Old Girl ‘Bullied to Death’

“If you’re a parent and you’re not outraged by this, you’re part of the problem too,” the mother of 12-year-old Flora Martinez said.

The parents of a 12-year-old Las Vegas-area girl who took her own life after being mercilessly bullied by classmates say the school didn’t do enough to protect their child from harm. Joshua Parker and Alice Martinez, who lost their daughter Flora early this month, say the staff at Flora’s middle school ignored months and months of bullying reports, including harassment from peers that only intensified the more Flora tried to address it. “I feel like the school had a duty to keep her safe, while she was in their care and they just failed miserably,” grieving mother Alice Martinez told KLAS. She said the Clark County school’s staff ignored attempts by their family to remove Flora from the situation, including a request to transfer schools that was ultimately shot down by the district. “Everybody that had a hand in that request to transfer her failed her,” Martinez said. “If you’re a parent and you’re not outraged by this, you’re part of the problem too.”

If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.