Again, we all looked at each other and we all agreed, most of us agreed, on that we were OK with being suspended,вЂќ he said. She told us that if we continue to stay there and we didnвЂ™t go to class, that she would start calling parents and that we would get suspended. вЂњWe all looked around each other and we just looked back at her and we stayed silent. That if she wanted if we wanted to do a sit-in, that we could do one during lunch,вЂќ Smith said. Madonna, came out and basically told us that she likes that we were doing a sit-in, but that it wasnвЂ™t the time or place to do it. Right after the morning announcements, the principal, Miss. вЂњWe sat in the main lobby, right in front of the school, and we all just huddled. Then on Monday, Tears said he and about 30 other students held an in-school, silent protest. We were doing this for everyone like Gio, that the bullying needs to stop.вЂќ We made sure that when we met in the morning we told everyone to remain peaceful, that we werenвЂ™t doing this just for ourselves. вЂњWe need change in our schools, jokes like suicide shouldnвЂ™t be even accepted in schoolвЂ¦ there shouldnвЂ™t even be any jokes about suicide,вЂќ Tears said. Senior student Colby Tears was one of the students who planned the gathering. They demanded the district does more and called on the staff member to resign. The video ended up going viral.ДЇollowing the video and the alleged comment that was made by a staff member, hundreds of parents and students protested outside of the high school Friday. Smith went to high school to pick up her daughter and she recorded her interaction over Facebook live. I had to pull my car over and kind of deal with the feelings that I was feeling at the moment.вЂќ вЂњShe called me very upset, telling me that a teacher was making a quote unquote, вЂjoke.вЂ™ That if youвЂ™re feeling suicidalвЂ¦ just eat a cookie and everything will be OK,вЂќ Smith said. Smith said her daughter called her to tell her. Just last week, a staff member was criticized for allegedly making insensitive comments regarding suicide. Since GioвЂ™s death, some students and parents say not enough has been done by the school district to address bullying. Just a ton of cyber bullying that was going on, you know, so unfortunately, it wasnвЂ™t in the actual school, but still with school students,вЂќ Smith said. During his game, playing his gameвЂ¦ the same thing. вЂњThere was one a few incidences where somebody told him to go kill himself over the phone. She said leading up to his death, he had been bullied by kids over social media. In late June, around 12:30 in the afternoon, Smith and her daughter found Gio.

Smith said her 11-year-old was an вЂњextremely intelligentвЂќ young boy who always talked about space and math.В But she said he was also very active and the pandemic was difficult for him. You donвЂ™t have to always look from the exterior, like youвЂ™re brave and taking everything with stride,вЂќ Smith said while talking about GioвЂ™s story. And I want everyone to know that is okay to break down. I have my moments when I break down and itвЂ™s okay to do that. вЂњFrom the outside in it looks like IвЂ™m really brave and I want to justвЂ¦ I want to be very clear: IвЂ™m not always brave. вЂњThis is the most difficult thing I have ever been through вЂ¦ my whole family has ever been through,вЂќ said Angelicia Smith, GioвЂ™s mother. Giovanni James Bourne, Gio, was just shy of his 12th birthday when he died by suicide last June. Waterloo students tell News 8 that the comment made light of suicide, just months after an area sixth grader took his own life. (WROC) - Controversy continued Tuesday at the Waterloo Central School District following an insensitive comment that was allegedly made by a staff member.

Game over dealing with bullies kids