NORTH SALT LAKE (ABC4) – A GoFundMe has been set up for the family of a 10-year-old Foxboro Elementary student who committed suicide due to bullying.
Ten-year-old Isabella Faith Tichenor was reportedly the target of bullying by peers — she was also a person of color who was living with autism and dyslexia.
The GoFundMe was set up by friends of the Tichenor family, hoping to raise “money to provide Izzy with the most beautiful celebration of life. She deserves nothing but the best.”
The GoFundMe has received support from many donors, including a $50,000 donation from the Utah Jazz Foundation.
Jazz players have spoken out about the tragic death and during Thursday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, the team held a moment of silence to honor Tichenor’s life.
Tichenor’s death has opened up a closer look into the Davis School District, which a U.S. Department of Justice investigation has revealed district officials have ignored or failed to act on hundreds of reports of racially-motivated harassment and discrimination over the course of five years.
“This has got to stop. They’re getting away with too much,” said Tichenor’s mother. “No kid deserves this. I don’t care how old they are, eight or 18. Nobody deserves this.”
Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell responded to the tragedy saying, “It’s mind-boggling. It’s sad. It’s just flat-out disgusting.” Mitchell also tweeted about Tichenor’s death saying: “I am at a loss for words [right now]… this is honestly sick! A little girl committing suicide because she was bullied based on the color of her skin.”
Jazz forward-guard Joe Ingles also responded. The case is hitting close to home for him as a father of a son with autism.
“I spoke to Brittany, the mom, yesterday for about an hour on the phone and just talking about experiences and obviously with Jacob and our fears of him going to school, and potentially getting bullied,” Ingles recalled of his interaction with the grieving family. ”Hearing her speak and explain some situations and talk through what is it has been like through the last, however long, is legitimately heartbreaking when you hear it from her mother.”
The GoFundMe page can be found here.