Suicide Vicitm's Family Blames School

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. (MyFOX Atlanta) - A DeKalb County mother discovers her fifth grade son dead. He used a belt to hang himself from a bedroom closet. The family said the boy was bullied by classmates.

The family of 11-year-old Jaheem Herrera is highly critical of Dunaire Elementary school officials. They said they repeatedly complained about harassment, but nothing was done.

Jaheem had been able to express his creative side through his drawings, but apparently could not express how much pain he was in to his mother.

Jaheem went to school on Thursday. Not long after he arrived home, he went upstairs and locked the bedroom door.

Jaheem's mother, Masika Bermudez said she had complained to the Dunaire School principal that her child had been bullied -- harassed physically and verbally because he looked different and spoke with an accent.

Herrera's sister, who attends the same school, told her mom about one incident.

Classmate Corey Freeman witnessed a bathroom incident and became frightened when he said Jaheem passed out.

The DeKalb School System would not allow for the school principal to talk. A spokesperson said he could not publicly address the specific school record of this child. The spokesperson said if a complaint was made about bullying, it would have been addressed through the normal conduct policies in place at all the schools.