Regressives love to exploit tragedy for political theater, and they have been exploiting the tragic suicide of Jocelynn Carranza, who they claimed committed suicide because students were threatening to call ICE on her family.
Not surprising, there is much more to the story:
1. Her parents - who claimed ignorance - were aware of the situation according to Gainesville officials
2. She reported bullying last year - well before the election and inauguration of Donald Trump
3. The source of bullying included "inappropriate touching" and other seemingly family issues not threats to call ICE - while that did occur to a group of students on a boys, there does not appear to be evidence Jocelynn was singled out
This is a horrible tragedy, and it is particularly ghoulish when special interest groups exploit and distort tragedies for political theater. From The Dallas Morning News:
The 11-year-old Texas girl who died by suicide was bullied and told others she was touched "inappropriately," according to an investigation conducted by Gainesville school officials.
Jocelynn Rojo Carranza died on Feb. 8 after being hospitalized in Dallas for five days.
The girl's family said after Jocelynn's death, they learned she was bullied with classmates threatening to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, on her parents. Her death drew national attention with her parents saying school staff knew about the bullying but didn't tell the family.
Gainesville schools Superintendent DesMontes Stewart issued a summary of findings late Wednesday. He noted that the district alerted authorities about concerns from the investigation and that he met with the girl's family to discuss the findings.
The girl's family members could not immediately be reached for comment. The Dallas Morning News reached out to Jocelynn's parents and other relatives via phone calls and text messages late Wednesday.
Stewart's statement noted that district officials refrained from public statements in recent weeks at the request of the family. He said during a radio interview last week that the girl did not report being bullied.
In Wednesday's summary of findings, he noted that "false statements circulated on social media" in recent weeks.
"Gainesville ISD takes the safety and well-being of all students, faculty, and staff very seriously," he wrote. "We remain committed to addressing concerns swiftly and consistently."
Many in the small community northwest of Dallas and nationwide demanded "Justice for Jocelynn." The girl's mother previously said she didn't know that Jocelynn was seeing a school counselor.
Stewart laid out a timeline of events, noting that officials only learned that Jocelynn was bullied after she was hospitalized in early February. Officials had previously known and dealt with bullying of others that she reported, according to the district.
Multiple students told district staff during the investigation that the girl told them she was being "touched inappropriately," Stewart wrote, but she "wished to keep this a secret to avoid getting them in trouble."
The school then alerted the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services upon learning this information, he added.
Tiffani Butler, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said cases are confidential, so agency officials cannot provide information nor confirm any investigation.
The Gainesville Police Department is actively investigating Carranza's death. Police officials declined to comment further.
Stewart detailed the bullying of others that Jocelynn reported on Jan. 30. She told the principal that "a student on the bus was making remarks regarding ICE and deportation to a group of Hispanic students," he wrote. That student was disciplined, he added.
She tried to take her own life on Feb. 3. While she was hospitalized, students reported that she and her brother were bullied. That prompted the investigation to begin on Feb. 6, Stewart wrote.
Officials found out that the girl previously expressed thoughts of self-harm to a cousin, who told Jocelynn's mother, Stewart wrote. School staff were unaware of that, he added.
Jocelynn met with a school counselor in October and reported concerns about getting in trouble at home and said her siblings called her names but did not report bullying, Stewart said.
She was part of a group for "social-emotional learning" led by a school counselor, where students learned "coping strategies for managing distressing emotions," the investigation found.
Despite the mother saying publicly that she didn't know Jocelynn was part of the group, Stewart said the district had a signed permission slip authorizing her participation. She attended seven sessions between October and January.The investigation was concluded on Feb. 12.
After that, the district notified Jocelynn's mother about the bullying. Mental health experts say reasons for suicide are complex. Bullying and feelings of hopelessness are risk factors among children and adolescents, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Not surprising, there is much more to the story:
1. Her parents - who claimed ignorance - were aware of the situation according to Gainesville officials
2. She reported bullying last year - well before the election and inauguration of Donald Trump
3. The source of bullying included "inappropriate touching" and other seemingly family issues not threats to call ICE - while that did occur to a group of students on a boys, there does not appear to be evidence Jocelynn was singled out
This is a horrible tragedy, and it is particularly ghoulish when special interest groups exploit and distort tragedies for political theater. From The Dallas Morning News:
The 11-year-old Texas girl who died by suicide was bullied and told others she was touched "inappropriately," according to an investigation conducted by Gainesville school officials.
Jocelynn Rojo Carranza died on Feb. 8 after being hospitalized in Dallas for five days.
The girl's family said after Jocelynn's death, they learned she was bullied with classmates threatening to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, on her parents. Her death drew national attention with her parents saying school staff knew about the bullying but didn't tell the family.
Gainesville schools Superintendent DesMontes Stewart issued a summary of findings late Wednesday. He noted that the district alerted authorities about concerns from the investigation and that he met with the girl's family to discuss the findings.
The girl's family members could not immediately be reached for comment. The Dallas Morning News reached out to Jocelynn's parents and other relatives via phone calls and text messages late Wednesday.
Stewart's statement noted that district officials refrained from public statements in recent weeks at the request of the family. He said during a radio interview last week that the girl did not report being bullied.
In Wednesday's summary of findings, he noted that "false statements circulated on social media" in recent weeks.
"Gainesville ISD takes the safety and well-being of all students, faculty, and staff very seriously," he wrote. "We remain committed to addressing concerns swiftly and consistently."
Many in the small community northwest of Dallas and nationwide demanded "Justice for Jocelynn." The girl's mother previously said she didn't know that Jocelynn was seeing a school counselor.
Stewart laid out a timeline of events, noting that officials only learned that Jocelynn was bullied after she was hospitalized in early February. Officials had previously known and dealt with bullying of others that she reported, according to the district.
Multiple students told district staff during the investigation that the girl told them she was being "touched inappropriately," Stewart wrote, but she "wished to keep this a secret to avoid getting them in trouble."
The school then alerted the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services upon learning this information, he added.
Tiffani Butler, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said cases are confidential, so agency officials cannot provide information nor confirm any investigation.
The Gainesville Police Department is actively investigating Carranza's death. Police officials declined to comment further.
Stewart detailed the bullying of others that Jocelynn reported on Jan. 30. She told the principal that "a student on the bus was making remarks regarding ICE and deportation to a group of Hispanic students," he wrote. That student was disciplined, he added.
She tried to take her own life on Feb. 3. While she was hospitalized, students reported that she and her brother were bullied. That prompted the investigation to begin on Feb. 6, Stewart wrote.
Officials found out that the girl previously expressed thoughts of self-harm to a cousin, who told Jocelynn's mother, Stewart wrote. School staff were unaware of that, he added.
Jocelynn met with a school counselor in October and reported concerns about getting in trouble at home and said her siblings called her names but did not report bullying, Stewart said.
She was part of a group for "social-emotional learning" led by a school counselor, where students learned "coping strategies for managing distressing emotions," the investigation found.
Despite the mother saying publicly that she didn't know Jocelynn was part of the group, Stewart said the district had a signed permission slip authorizing her participation. She attended seven sessions between October and January.The investigation was concluded on Feb. 12.
After that, the district notified Jocelynn's mother about the bullying. Mental health experts say reasons for suicide are complex. Bullying and feelings of hopelessness are risk factors among children and adolescents, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.