Officials hold Community Awareness Meeting to discuss bullying, suicide

JACKSON, Tenn. — Officials say bullying is an ongoing problem in local schools that needs to be discussed and addressed before it’s too late.

“I got made fun of a lot of times, maybe about the clothes that I wore or the snack that I brought, and laughed at and made to cry, and it made me feel bad about who I was,” Tonya Raybon said.

Raybon is talking about a problem that experts say affects almost everyone at some point in their lives — bullying.

“I mean it makes an impact on the way we view the world, on the way we view other people. It creates a sense of distrust,” Raybon said.

Councilman Johnny Dodd says bullying is something that is happening within our community.

“He’s going to the office saying that he’s sick, and he’s not really sick. Because he doesn’t want to be in the classroom, so he’s got a tummy ache or just not feeling good,” Dodd said.

Experts say it is good to talk about these problems before it’s too late.

“Unfortunately we have children that are taking their lives for different reasons, and we’ve identified bullying as being a primary factor for a lot of our suicides,” said Alvin Bonds II, founder and CEO of Revelation of Hope Counseling Services.

So Councilman Dodd has scheduled a Community Awareness Meeting to let people know there are places you can go for help and people you can talk to.

“If you feel comfortable talking to your pastor or even feel comfortable talking to your basketball coach or anybody in the schools — there’s someone everybody can talk to,” Dodd said.

The free event was scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at T.R. White Sportsplex in east Jackson. Both parents and their children were encouraged to participate.

If you, your child, or anyone you know may be getting bullied or are having thoughts of suicide, you can get help at:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
1-800-273-8255

Revelation of Hope Counseling Services:
731-868-7297
384 Carriage House Drive C
Jackson, TN 38305