After his 10-year-old son committed suicide last week, a distraught father attempted to use a packed board of education meeting in New York to put his grief into action.
Christian Illescas held up a photo of his 10-year-old son Lukas, taken from his phone, during a contentious and emotional board of education meeting on Tuesday night in Peekskill, Westchester County, to the board that he accuses of being careless.
Christian described Lukas as a joyful, interesting, and active young man who cherished his family and his life at home. Christian, however, said that Lukas was subjected to severe bullying at school this year from a single youngster to the point where his son pleaded with him not to go.
Another Day of Facing Bullying Or Committing Suicide
According to his father, Lukas was so afraid of facing another day of bullying that he committed suicide last week. Christian claimed he made several unsuccessful attempts to persuade the school to intervene.
The district as a whole claimed to have experienced things similarly. During the meeting, the board of education members remained silent.
Dr. David Mauricio, the superintendent of the Peekskill City School District, published a statement on the district's website on June 2, a few days before the board meeting:
The grief we all experience at the death of a young life is beyond words. The school community is still reeling over the loss of our Hillcrest scholar on May 25. His family and friends continue to be in our thoughts and prayers. This week, my administrative team and I visited Hillcrest Elementary to support our kids, faculty, and families at this trying time. All members of the school community have access to clinical resources as they process this loss. Our hearts are still heavy, though.
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