BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Local psychiatrists see an increase in adolescents with mental health concerns because of bullying in school.
Recently 12-year-old Dariel Rivera died by suicide after his family says he was bullied at School 48 Martin Luther King in Buffalo. They say they reported it multiple times to school administrators.
The Buffalo Public Schools launched an anti-bullying task force in 2019. A district spokesperson says the task force no longer exists, but that the goals created by the group do. BPS stakeholders are expected to meet next month to discuss this topic further.
Two psychiatrists 7 News reporter Yoselin Person spoke with say 30% of kids experience being bullied while 70% of kids are bystanders.
“The mental health of our youth has been a concern,” says Amanda Nickerson, professor at the School of Psychology at the University at Buffalo. “It has been declining over the past decade and COVID has no doubt exacerbated that.”
In some cases having a language barrier can be a challenge.
“Far more challenging if there’s a language barrier, economic barrier, racial barrier,” says Dr. Michael Cummings, a child adolescent psychiatrist. “There are a number of barriers that someone maybe will less likely to want to report to an authority figure.”
Dr. Cummings says school is supposed to be a safe place for all adolescents.
“But we know that that’s not particularly true between shootings and bullying, but that’s what it’s supposed to be, school is supposed to be safe,” he says. “And it’s the school’s responsibility to do everything they can to make sure each student is feeling safe.”
Other experts say bruises, being quiet and changes in behavior are some signs to look for if your child is being bullied.
“What we know is that almost half and a little bit more kids that are bullied normally don’t tell an adult,” says Nickerson. “And that happens more when kids get older and there’s a lot of reasons for that, there’s a lot of fear of being a snitch.”
The spokesperson of the Buffalo school district says this in a statement in response to the bullying 12-year-old Dariel Rivera endured that led him to commit suicide.
"As the unfortunate death of a School 48 at MLK student, Dariel Rivera has left our entire community heartbroken, Superintendent Dr. Tonja M. Williams announced Wednesday evening that she will be personally meeting in July with the family of Dariel Rivera, members of the District Parenting Counseling Group, members of CoNECT, Alexandra Gomez, Dariel’s teacher, and other advocates to review the District’s policies and procedures and determine next steps, in the wake of this tragedy."
Help is always available, if you or someone you know is in need of help you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. You can also contact the crisis services in Erie County at (716) 834-3131 or in Niagara County at (716) 285-3515.
Below are the lists of other resources:
Buffalo & Erie County Addiction Hotline
716-831-7007
Crisis Text Hotline
716-300-2338 (Available Mon-Fri 6-11pm)
Crisis Chat Hotline Access
Chat With a Counselor (Available Mon-Fri 6PM-11PM)
Rape & Sexual Assault
716-834-3131
Chautauqua County Hotline
1-800-724-0461
Kids' Helpline
1-877-KIDS-400
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255
Kids' Helpline Local Line
716-834-1144
Kids' Helpline National Line
1-877-KIDS-400
