Less than a month ago, on Oct. 19, an 11-year-old cancer survivor committed suicide because of a growing bullying problem at school.

Ohio child Bethany Thompson was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 3. Cancer-free since the tumor’s removal in 2008, Thompson was left with a crooked smile from nerve damage. Because of this, some of her classmates would bully her. “Bethany told her best friend she couldn’t take it anymore, and was going to take her own life,” said Thompson’s mother, Wendy Feucht. The school was aware of the bullying; Thompson even made anti-bullying posters, “Buddies, not bullies,” that were taken down because they were deemed negative. The school was aware of the bullying. “Last school year, district officials investigated a complaint raised by the student [Thompson] and appropriately resolved the same,” stated superintendent Chris Piper. Thompson’s mother had also received a related phone call earlier that week, but action was never taken. This was the middle school’s second suicide in four years, though Piper assures “there was no evidence of a pattern of bullying this year.”

Schools including Thompson’s and Pleasant Valley are still facing problems with bullying. As shown by recent tragedies in the PV district, suicide is still an issue. Is bullying an issue you deal with or see at school? What can you and your school do to stop bullying?