Teen Commits Suicide After Constant Bullying
Friends Of Scott Walz Create Facebook Page In His Honor
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- Scott Walz, 18, committed suicide after he was constantly bullied at Johnsburg High School in McHenry County.
CBS
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Scott Walz was a senior at Johnsburg High School in McHenry County when he committed suicide on March 4, 2010.
His family and friends say the school did not do enough to stop the bullies who had tormented him throughout high school, and even in middle school.
Scott had a black belt in Karate, but his mom, Nancy Walz, says he did not fight back.
"He was an easy target," she said. "He was quiet. He was shy."
Walz says behind her son Scott's smile, and under his favorite Cubs hat, was a boy who endured the pain of constant bullying at school.
"Nine years of being bullied, with being ridiculed and humiliated, and beaten up and choked to the point of passing out," said Walz. "He, in the end, truly believed that he was everything that everybody said and did to him."
In a suicide note, Scott wrote he was in "so much pain", that it "never goes away", that he was called a "freak" and "ugly."
"This kills people. Words kill," said Walz.
She believes that her son would be alive today if someone would have stopped the bullying.
Scott's friends agree. Lauren Manicke, Lauren Janik and Krystle Bachler are taking their own steps to stop the bullying. They created a Facebook page in his honor. Thousands of people have joined it, and tips about bullies are being reported on the site.
"There were definitely warning signs," said Bachler. "It was definitely obvious that there was a problem."
Bachler says bullying is rampant at school and nothing really is being done to stop it.
"It's not just kidding around, not just teasing people, it's literally life-threatening," she said.
Johnsburg High School Principal Kevin Shelton says he did not know Scott was being bullied.
"We don't ignore information. My number one priority is to try to create a safe environment for the kids," said Shelton.
We asked how it was possible that the students knew Scott was bullied for four years, but the adults did not.
"That's a good question," said Shelton, who added that if he knew, he would have helped.
Nancy Walz says her son did make repeated trips to the school counselor, the only person he trusted because he feared retaliation.
Walz recommends students go to parents and adults at school immediately to report bullying. She hopes to start an advocacy group.
Scott's friends say they have already started forwarding bullying tips from their Facebook to school.
"All of his friends, his family, his peers, everyone who cared for him, is going to fight for him, and they won't be quiet about this," said Bachler.
Principal Shelton says he is starting a special committee on bullying next year and has already implemented his own anonymous tip line at school.
Currently, the only state requirement is that each school district has a bullying prevention policy in place.
However, there is legislation on Governor Quinn's desk that, if signed, will create an Illinois Bullying Prevention Task Force.
Click here to visit the Scott Walz-inspired Facebook page. Click here to join Dave Savini's fan page on Facebook.
1 comment:
He was mobbed. Mobbing is a type of bullying but one in which the attacker wants to eliminate the target. I live and know West Campus were Scott attended. My brother graduated there. Mobbers use attacks and get lesser bullies to follow. They also harass the target in a way that hurts his strongest attribute. Not his weakest. Scott was a blackbelt. They beat him up. To break his spirit and ego.
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