WARNING: This story contains discussions of bullying and suicide. Viewer discretion is advised.

Following a Department of Justice investigation that found the Davis School District in Utah failed to properly respond to race-based harassment and discrimination of Black and Asian-American students, the district has once again found itself in the spotlight following the suicide of 10-year-old Isabella “Izzy” Tichenor. 

The Associated Press reports Tichenor committed suicide as a result of bullying from a small group of other classmates who called her the N-word, told her she smelled bad and teased her about her autistic condition. Teachers and school district administrators were reportedly aware of the ongoing harassment. 

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“Nobody has done anything,” said Tichenor’s mother Brittany, per Standard Examiner. “This proves [school personnel] don’t know what a child is going through mentally, and a parent has to find their child hanging from a closet.” 

The grieving mother said a teacher was uncaring and mocked Izzy with the other students. 

“We don’t take umbrage with the children,” the family’s lawyer Tyler Ayres told KTLA News, per AP. “We take umbrage with the adults who chose not to do anything about it. The adults who were in charge there should have taken these kids aside.” 

While many have expressed their sorrow at Tichenor’s death and extended condolences to her family, the discovery of racial discrimination within the Davis School District is unsurprising. Hundreds of documented usages of the N-word and other racial epithets, as well as insulting racial comments and physical assaults targeting district kids at dozens of schools, were discovered during a year-long DOJ investigation that focused on 2015-2020. 

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Davis also reprimanded Black students harsher than white students for comparable behavior and refused Black students the chance to form student groups while supporting similar requests from other students, according to the department. 

Tichenor was described as “an amazing, kind, and beautiful 10 yr old” who captivated the hearts of everyone she met, according to a GoFundMe set up in her honor. It has amassed a total of more than $65,000 in donations. 

“She was her mommy’s best friend, the best big sister, and a light in this world,” it reads. “Her beautiful life came to an end way to soon and was a shock to everyone.” 

Shauna Lund, a spokeswoman for Davis School District, said in a statement, “We, like everyone, are devastated by the death of this child. Our hearts go out to the family. Foxboro Elementary has worked extensively with the family and will continue to provide help to them and others impacted by this tragedy.” 

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