School is a place for learning, but it is also a place for making life-long friends and unforgettable memories.
For Tayla, however, school offered none of these. In fact, this 12-year-old dreaded going to school, because she was being bullied.
“I’ve been pushed to the ground, had people go through my bag, or break my scooter when I rode it to school,” said Tayla.
Shockingly, the school had no idea about this. And when they did learn about the issue, the school administration put Tayla in an isolation room.
This actually worsened the situation, because Tayla felt like she was being singled out. To her, it was almost as if the school was telling her that she didn’t deserve to be in the same room with the ‘normal’ kids.
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Since the school showed no effort to help her daughter, Tayla’s mother Kali decided to take the matter into her own hands. When she reached out to the school’s principal, however, Kali was extremely shocked.
Instead of promising to support Tayla, the principal actually told Kali that it was her daughter’s fault for being bullied. The principal even went on to say that Tayla was ‘weird.’
When she heard about this, Tayla became so depressed that she stopped eating. Even worse, she attempted suicide.
“I wanted to leave this world and never come back,” said Tayla.
But, Kali didn’t let this happen. Because nothing else seemed to work, Kali made a life-changing decision: She sent Tayla to live with her grandfather.
Thankfully, Tayla now enjoys going to school. Her depression is slowly going away, and she has been making new friends. Now that Tayla’s settled in, Kali and Tayla’s brothers also plan to join her in the new environment.
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But that’s not the end of the story – Kali and Tayla filmed a short documentary and started a petition to stop bullying from affecting more people.
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If you know anyone who needs help, please visit StopBullying.gov or call 1-800-273-TALK.