Stop Kids from Killing Themselves
American Thinker,
by
Sloan Oliver
Original Article
Posted By: Dodge Boy,
3/25/2026 8:39:27 AM
Last month, 12-year-old Ava Little committed suicide. Apparently, she did so because she was being chronically bullied at Byron Middle School, Peach County, Ga.
According to Little’s family, none of the school’s anti-bullying measures or guidelines was implemented, even as “other students targeted her over and over again.” The bullying began in fifth grade and intensified this year. According to Paige Day, Ava’s aunt, her parent’s tried to get the school to intervene, but Peach schools were “consistently underwhelming. They failed her 100%.”
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Reply 1 - Posted by:
privateer 3/25/2026 8:58:49 AM (No. 2084614)
I guess it's out of respect and sympathy that the author gives us no idea of the nature of said bullying by cellphone. In my school days we had two sayings that should apply here...but I guess today's kids are too fragile to use them. 1) sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me! 2) I'm rubber, you're glue. Everything you say to me...bounces off and sticks to you!
Of course, it required a bit of courage, and a certain positive image of oneself to benefit from saying these. Sad
9 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Cindiana 3/25/2026 9:08:10 AM (No. 2084617)
It's hard to fathom the torture that child carried deep inside her all day, every day. Her last thoughts before falling asleep carried though to her first waking moments...then off to school to face the brutes yet again.
Where were the teachers and administrators to protect her? Sadly, too many are bullies themselves. We have a real mess here, folks, and Ava and her family pay the price.
21 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
NorthernDog 3/25/2026 9:22:16 AM (No. 2084621)
In the olden days they allowed kids to have a playground fight. The kid being teased would punch the bullying kid in the nose and garner some respect.
15 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
hurricanegirl 3/25/2026 9:32:33 AM (No. 2084624)
I guess removing Ava from the school was out of the question?
Also, LOTS of girls this age are mean. They get a little better when they get to high school but not by much.
17 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
jb4kids 3/25/2026 9:51:05 AM (No. 2084634)
A few observations from recent years of working with children of all ages in a professional capacity:
Today's parents MUST take those phones away after school after an hour or two of use, even if the're having fun. The sticks & stones phrase is only as good as the regrouping time after school with the ones that love, interact, and provide real world stability against the barrage of said sticks & stones. It's hard to feel like you're worth much when the 5th and 6th grade secret Snapchat room is in full swing all afternoon, evening, and with overnight notifications after you're supposed to be sleeping. If you think the comment sections of FB or news sites are untenable for adults that should know better....well, you get the picture. Girls are 100x worse than boys for this. Watch/listen in on your boy's gaming with buddies from school and monitor how the trash talk devolves.
Not everything is bullying. Sometimes kids are just jerks to each other and we all took our turn at being a jerk and reaping the consequences. Bullying is targeted and manipulative, generally drawing others in to pile on. I promise you that there is social media bullying going on from fourth and fifth grade up in every public and private school. If it's affecting your child in school, never rely on just a phone call to the guidance counselor and principal. ALWAYS follow up with emails because those are tracked by the state and affect the school report card/bullying statistics for your school.
13 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Marzipan4 3/25/2026 10:04:35 AM (No. 2084648)
Very sorry this little one felt so hopeless she took her life. I was bullied in the same grade in the same way. I turned the corner of the building and there would be a group of kids bad mouthing me because I had insulted one of the cheerleaders. I’d back up to leave and someone would be crouched down behind me so I would fall. Then they’d all laugh. Call me names and walk away. They invited me to play line tag because they knew I could never catch them. I had a rotten home life. The teachers didn’t know anything was going on because I didn’t tell them. But somehow at that age, I had the intestinal fortitude to realize that trash is trash and I am not. But my main question is if the parents and the Aunt were aware this was going on why did they not remove the child from this situation? Why did they let that kid stew and try to figure it out on her own when children that age don’t have that maturity? This article is an indictment on parents. Not the school, not the bullies, but the adults in the room, too busy with their lives to intervene on behalf of their child. Life is full of bullies because humans as a hole are corrupt, unless they choose a morality .Fortunately, in my case, I had the chutzpah to ignore the jerks, thankfully, we moved at the end of the school year. Parents, how can kids live with a full toolbox if you never give them the tools?
21 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
LC Chihuahua 3/25/2026 10:21:25 AM (No. 2084666)
Dumb question: Couldn't the kid block the online bullies? I was bullied plenty in grade school and high school. Did need anyone to teach me the person with the problem was the bully and they weren't my friend.
6 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Texpub 3/25/2026 11:28:25 AM (No. 2084701)
This is so sad. If the school system isn't willing to keep a child safe by following guidelines, and if parents have exhsusted all their options, it is time to pull your child from school and start raising cane. The parents have the ultimate responsibility for the safety of their child. No excuses. Absolutely nothing is more important than the welfare of your kids. Be a good problem solver. This is a problem you can't pass off to someone else.
6 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Proud Texan 3/25/2026 11:32:13 AM (No. 2084703)
Adults should pay attention when bullying is happening. When one person, child or adult, threatens to kill someone, the victim is entitled to protect him or her self. However they can. When it comes to the point of suicide, there are multiple adults guilty.
8 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
DVC 3/25/2026 11:57:02 AM (No. 2084720)
Take her phone. Smash it with a hammer.
Problem solved.
11 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
Dodge Boy 3/25/2026 1:51:04 PM (No. 2084746)
And while we're at it #10, outlaw SM. After that, job done.
4 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
Venturer 3/25/2026 3:00:05 PM (No. 2084775)
When my boy was getting bullied I told him to get something and hurt the bullies. Whatever it takes hit them with it and hurt them. Bullies do not like getting hurt. Once they discover you will hurt them the bullying stops.
8 people like this.
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