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The mother of a young girl who killed herself due to extensive bullying has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the school board for failing to take action.
Elaina LoAlbo alleges that her 11-year-old daughter, Felicia LoAlbo-Melendez, suffered years of harassment and bullying about her physical appearance, Latina roots, and ‘perceived sexual orientation’ by students at the F.W. Holbein School in New Jersey.
LoAlbo’s lawsuit claims nothing was done to help her sixth-grader despite numerous emails being sent to school officials ‘regarding ongoing and systemic bullying’.
The harassment allegedly included Felicia being harassed, taunted, called derogatory names and pushed down a flight of stairs.
Documents filed name Mount Holly school superintendent Robert Mungo, Principal Daniel Finn, counselors and teachers, who are accused of negligence and failing to protect her daughter from an ‘extended, persistent period of bullying’.
Felicia hung herself in the school bathroom on February 6 and died two days later.
Elaina, said at a news conference: ‘She would come home crying on a regular basis. It just became intolerable there.’
Elaina LoAlbo alleges that her 11-year-old daughter, Felicia LoAlbo-Melendez, suffered years of harassment and bullying about her physical appearance, Latina roots, and ‘perceived sexual orientation’ by students at the F.W. Holbein School
The lawsuit states that the sixth-grader sent numerous emails to school officials ‘regarding ongoing and systemic bullying’, which involved her being harassed, taunted, called derogatory names and pushed down a flight of stairs but to no avail
The lawsuit was filed against Mount Holly school superintendent Robert Mungo, Principal Daniel Finn, counselors and teachers, accusing them of negligent and failure to protect the girl from an ‘extended, persistent period of bullying’
The grieving mom claims that the bullying took place by a group of seven children via cell phones and in person.
The lawsuit also states that Felicia was being excluded from social settings due to her ‘advocated position that love was love and that she could love another of the same or different gender’.
The case also alleges that two of the children taunted Felicia to ‘unalive herself’.
In one of the multiple emails Felicia sent to the school detailing the bullying she was being subjected to, at one point, she suggested creating a ‘trauma club’ where people would talk about the things they have suffered through.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Elaina couldn’t hold back her tears as she revealed her last conversation with her daughter on February 6, when she says Felicia was eager to go to school to participate in a play.
‘I never in a million years would have thought that day would have turned out the way that it did’, Elaina told DailyMail.com.
‘I wanted her to stay home. I wanted to go get our nails done. And she came into my room that morning. Kissing me goodbye.
‘We had plans for her to stay home and she said, “No Mom, I miss too much school. I want to go and be in the play today”.
‘She had a part in a play. I said “Okay, I love you.” I kissed her. I asked her to take out the recycling and she skipped to school. It was a day like no other.’
According to Elaina, Felicia regularly saw the school’s guidance counselor and a private therapist to grieve through the death of her NJ police investigator father Alexis Melendez, who died of pancreatic cancer in January
Speaking to DailyMail.com, LoAlbo couldn’t hold back her tears as she revealed her last conversation with her daughter on February 6, when she says Felicia was eager to go to school to participate in a play
‘An autopsy performed by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that the manner of death was suicide, and the cause of death was determined to be complications from hanging,’ Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office wrote in a press release.
‘An investigation into the student’s death by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, which included a review of the school’s surveillance cameras, determined that she was alone in the restroom when this tragic action occurred.
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‘The investigation further determined that no foul play was involved.’
According to Elaina, Felicia regularly saw the school’s guidance counselor and a private therapist to grieve through the death of her NJ police investigator father Alexis Melendez, who died of pancreatic cancer in January.
‘I had my daughter psychologically evaluated that afternoon, and she was found to be of sound mind and have no self-harm to herself,’ Elaina told DailyMail.com
Elaina said that her daughter’s private therapist and good ‘cancer community’ helped her deal with the loss.
A week before Felicia’s death, the girl had emailed her school counselor telling them that she was being bullied and the school was breaking laws by not addressing it, Elaina claims.
But the counselor allegedly responded by calling mom Elaina to ‘reprimand’ her and to tell the middle schooler to ‘watch her language,’ she claims.
The same day, Felicia saw her therapist and was evaluated, per the school counselor’s request.
‘I had my daughter psychologically evaluated that afternoon, and she was found to be of sound mind and have no self-harm to herself,’ Elaina told DailyMail.com.
Elaina added that the school officials didn’t address her daughter’s concerns the next day.
‘The school did nothing. The school didn’t question her nor any of the bullies and they failed.’
Elaina confronted school officials in person about her daughter’s struggles because she knew she wouldn’t receive the same response over email.
In December last year, she recalled sitting down with the school principal to discuss moving Felicia to different classrooms. While the school was supposed to make the move for the 11-year-old, they never did, according to Elaina.
‘I did go as far as calling other families and speaking to them in reference to their children’s bullying. Obviously, none of that helped the situation,’ Elaina added.
Elaina encouraged her daughter to stand up for herself and to be an advocate. ‘I encouraged my daughter to take Krav Maga (a form of marital arts),’ she said
Elaina encouraged her daughter to stand up for herself and to be an advocate.
‘I encouraged my daughter to take Krav Maga (a form of marital arts),’ she said.
‘I encouraged her to verbally stand up for herself to advocate for herself. Obviously, that’s why she sent the emails that she did – to advocate for herself. ‘
Despite the bullying, Elaina felt like her daughter was getting through the hard parts of life. Felicia was actively involved in school and participated in band.
‘She wanted to go to the Philharmonic in New York City because that was something that they had worked so hard for,’ Elaina said.
‘She thought that her school friends and her tribe were people that helped her through these moments and she reached out to them. She felt like she was getting through all of these moments, the way that she was supposed to and I feel the same way.’
Elaina added that after a close look at Felicia’s phone, there were no signs she wanted to hurt herself.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for youth and young adults between 10 and 24.
The rates are higher for children of color, and girls and young women are especially at risk.
