(UTV|COLOMBO) – A nine-year-old boy has killed himself after enduring four-days of homophobic bullying at school in Denver, Colorado, his mother says.
Leia Pierce told KDVR-TV that her son, Jamel Myles, revealed to her over the summer that he was gay.
She said Jamel wanted to go to school and tell his classmates because he was “Proud” to be gay.
Denver Public Schools (DPS) say crisis counsellors have been made available to students at Jamel’s elementary school.
The school system sent letters to families on Friday about the additional counselling services for students.
The letter, addressed to Shoemaker families, says Jamel’s death “Is an unexpected loss for our school community” and offers parents signs of stress to watch for in their children.
“Our goal is to partner with you in sharing this news with your child in the most appropriate way possible, with as much support as may be needed, so please feel free to reach out about how you want to handle this.”
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