Parents Sue New York City For Daughter's Suicide

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Heriberto Ríos and Nelly Vizcarrondo, parents of the girl Mya Vizcarrondo-Ríos, filed a lawsuit against the New York City, the Department of Education and the administrators of a school in the Bronx for the death of their daughter, who later committed suicide. from being bullied and being sexually harassed by two students.

The 16-year-old girl was tormented for five months and forced to perform oral sex on two students from the Harry S. Truman school, as detailed in the legal complaint filed with the Supreme Court of that county. Said sexual abuse, which occurred on February 28, 2018, that is, the same day of the girl's death, was the lace that apparently led her to go up to the roof of her building and jump into the void.

The ninth-grade student died after falling 34 floors below the building where she lived. When her body was found on the pavement, she was still wearing her school bag, according to The New York Post. Around 2:00 pm that day, police knocked on the door of the apartment where the young girl lived, and where her father was, to inform him of what had happened to Mya. The girl was rushed to the Jacobi Medical Center where her death was pronounced.

"The employees of" Harry S. Truman received a real notice of intimidation, but did not intervene, "it is now said in the lawsuit against these institutions and that it was filed by attorney John Scola on behalf of the family.

The lawsuit details the torment to which the girl was subjected and even points to another student, identified simply as Vivianna D., as one of her main executioners, who was in charge of tormenting the deceased making her ashamed of her physique, they pulled her hair and they laughed at her.

"She was an outstanding student," said the girl's father, explaining that Mya had begun her studies at said school campus the September before her death. In no time, her daughter, who was a dedicated student, began to score low and show a change.

Parents were called to school by a counselor who pointed out absences from classes and it was agreed that she should sign every time she attended school. Her father confronted her and asked her daughter what was going on. "She told me that she had problems but she never told me that they were bullying her," says Ríos. "I found out after she died."

Subsequent investigations revealed that Keri Alfano, the school's principal and the counselor who dealt with Mya's parents, were aware of the harassment to which she was subjected. It was also discovered that the counselor who dealt with Mya's parents was fired and that before leaving she had made a recommendation that the minor's complaints be investigated.

"The tragic circumstances surrounding the death of my client could have been prevented," said Scola, after filing the lawsuit. "We hope that this case will prompt the Department of Education to reevaluate the appropriate policies and training of its employees to deal with bullying cases so that no student feels abandoned and believes that suicide is the solution."

"This was a tragic loss and the students deserve a safe and supportive environment in the schools," said Doug Cohen, spokesman for the department. “We recognize the impact that bullying can have and schools are required to investigate and follow up on any complaints. We will continue to invest in anti-bullying programs and initiatives for safe schools.”