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Bullied Teen’s Suicide Could Be Traced Back To Work Manager

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Earlier this week, we posted an article relating to where the highest incidents of bullying are taking place.

This recent article pertains to a young bullied teen who committed suicide—which some are saying is attributed to his work manager. Apparently, bullying is not uncommon in the district where the teen went to school, yet school leaders did not respond to complaints.

This is another reason why the Rainbow Rabbit stresses that our programs are necessary at a young age before it’s too late to teach tolerance and acceptance among young children.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A rare investigation requested by a Missouri coroner has resulted in prosecutors being asked to file manslaughter charges against a Dairy Queen manager accused of bullying a 17-year-old employee who killed himself.

The Howard County coroner sought an official inquest into the teenager’s December death, a process similar to a grand jury investigation but public. Such investigations can be sought if a coroner believes a death could be related to a continuing safety and health hazard.

The manager told jurors during the inquest that she never bullied or humiliated the teen, and that he never seemed bothered by jokes. Other witnesses said the boy had been bullied for years at school and at work before he shot himself outside his family’s home.

The case’s special prosecutor, April Wilson, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she’s considering whether to file charges. She said jurors assembled to hear the case listened to more than six hours of testimony from nearly 20 witnesses before recommending the charge on Tuesday.

The manger was put on a 24-hour hold. A publicly listed home phone number for the manager couldn’t be found Wednesday by the AP.

“We wanted to be very cautious and responsible,” Wilson said. “Both sides of the issue are extremely important. A young man is dead. But we also want to acknowledge that it’s not easy being in public education.”

The jurors concluded that negligence from the Fayette store and the Glasgow School District contributed to the death. Wilson said the district’s and Dairy Queen’s alleged negligence would not lead to criminal charges but could give rise to civil actions. A Dairy Queen representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP.

Wilson also noted that jurors believed the manager was the “primary actor” in the boy’s death and did not name any other individuals.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

For an update on this story, click here.

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