This story was originally published on Word In Black.
For more than a year, 14-year-old Kelaia Turner endured bullying from schoolmates and even her teacher at Dr. Phinnize J. Fisher Middle School in Greenville, South Carolina. They teased her about her looks, calling the girl a “roach” and “a man.” They soaked her clothes and dumped them in the garbage.
Her mother, Ty Turner, repeatedly complained to the school, according to a new lawsuit, but the taunts and harassment continued. Kelaia ultimately decided she could no longer take the abuse. On March 17, 2023, Turner found Kelaia in her room, dangling from a belt wrapped around her neck. The child had tried to kill herself.
“She was gone for eight whole minutes,” Turner told NBC affiliate WYFF-TV. “Paramedics couldn’t find a pulse, and they couldn’t find her heartbeat. There were grown men in the room crying.”
Kelaia survived but suffered severe brain damage and spent months in the hospital, including 31 days in a coma in intensive care, according to the GoFundMe fundraiser created by her mother. Even in the hospital, though, the bullying continued: a classmate visited Kelaia in the ICU and took photos of her, which ended up on social media.
In a statement to The Washington Post, Greenville County Schools denied the allegations. “The school and district administrations investigated and addressed each of the reported incidents in accordance with policy and law,” according to the statement. No parent concerns or reports of bullying were ignored, and all were directly addressed with the student’s mother. While we do not agree with the allegations, our hearts go out to Kelaia Tecora Turner, her mother, and their family.”
Kelaia’s heartbreaking story, detailed in a lawsuit against the Greenville County school system, reflects a national crisis: studies show 4 in 10 Black K-12 students face bullying in school, much of it is based on their race, and most school districts lack the resources to help or protect them.
Bullying Black Students Is a National School Crisis
A 2023 report from The Public Health Post found that although Black students make up 15% of all students in the nation’s K-12 public school system, they account for 37% of students who experience bullying. Experts believe the percentage is likely wider than reported, given that students of color are less likely to report being bullied due to mistrust of the school system.
Often, schools’ responses to racial bullying against Black students fail to address the severity and prevalence of the abuse. A 2021 policy brief from The Intercultural Development Research Association found that schools frequently lack the resources to recognize and respond to the specific type of trauma bullied Black students suffer.
Additionally, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has identified instances where schools have turned a blind eye to known acts of racial harassment.
At the same time, studies show an alarming rise in suicide rates among Black youth. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2023 that while the suicide rate between 2018 and 2021 among Black school-aged kids fell from 14% to 10%, it was still increasing faster than any other racial or ethnic group. Their study also found that more than 6 in 10 Black youths who attempted suicide did so due to racism and school bullying.
These incidents not only perpetuate hostile school environments but further exacerbate mental distress, which can disrupt their education and academic achievement.
The Mental Health Toll in the Classroom
Persistent bullying, especially, can lead to decreased academic performance, increased absenteeism, and higher dropout rates. A 2024 report from The Journal of Early Adolescence found that students who are subjected to bullying scored lower on standardized tests and received poorer grades than their non-bulled peers.
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The compounded stress from bullying can trigger anxiety, depression, and self-harm, including thoughts of suicide. But without culturally competent mental health resources — psychologists and counselors who understand racism and the Black experience —students are often left without the support that can help them.
A Strong Call for Change
Kelaia, now 14, is unable to speak or feed herself and can’t breathe on her own, according to the lawsuit. Her parents provide the bulk of the around-the-clock care she requires, beginning at 2 a.m. and with little respite.
Turner, her mother, says she believes that, despite the excruciatingly painful circumstances, — her child has a purpose and can help others.
“Kelaia advocating for Kelaia should have been enough, and it wasn’t,” Turner told The Washington Post. “Me advocating for Kelaia wasn’t enough. So now what we want to do is make sure that we are shining a light on [bullying] and trying to set a precedent so that these schools are compelled to address this.”
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