Teen’s suicide prompts father to set up bullying hotline
Jeff Lasater doesn’t want any other child to go through the bullying and teasing that spurred his 14-year-old son, Jeremy, to shoot himself in October.
Lasater and other parents at Vasquez High School in the Los Angeles area are setting up a toll-free number so that students can report harassment. The initiative is part of a new nonprofit group called Project 51, which wants to serve as a watchdog over the Acton, Calif., school system’s response to reports of bullying. The name of the group is a tribute to Jeremiah’s jersey number on the junior varsity football team.
“Bullying is a cancer that needs to be cut out,” Lasater told the Los Angeles Times. “The time has come. We just can’t keep waiting for the next tragedy to happen.”
School officials say that they will work with Project 51. But they also contended that they already have programs to train teachers how to spot bullying and discipline students. Still, none of the administrators at Vasquez High said that they knew of Jeremy’s torment. Although students and teachers now say that the bullying stretched back to middle school, Jeremy had not told his reported the harassment to his parents or school officials.
Jeremy, a freshman, had been teased because of his large size and passive behavior. Jeff Lasater says that he has since learned that on the last day of Jeremy’s life, several classmates threw chili at him during lunch and pulled down his pants. Afterwards, Jeremy went into a bathroom and shot himself in the head.
I like many of the family and community are trying to make sense from this senseless loss of life. Knowing Jeff as i have, starting Project 51 comes as no surprise. His inner strength is inline with this type of project. It has been along time since our paths have crossed and I would like to participate / contribute in anyway that I can. When will a number or address to contact be made available?