Holly Marriott, who said her son, Chase, recently took his life after suffering through bullying at school, told the Windsor C-1 Board of Education on April 16 that she believes the tragedy could have been avoided if Windsor personnel had enforced the district’s anti-bullying policies.
Marriott family friends and other district parents and students also spoke at the school board meeting about bullying and suicide and said they believe the district failed to protect Chase Marriott, who was a Windsor High senior when he died by suicide March 29. He was 17.
District officials gave Holly Marriott her own spot on the agenda to speak. Others who spoke about the situation did so during the public comments section of the meeting.
Marriott said she also attended Windsor schools and experienced bullying herself as a student 25 years ago and believes bullying is just as prevalent now.
She said her son had special needs and the school had an individualized education program in place to provide him with the specialized instruction he needed to address his communication difficulties.
She said her son had participated in the high school band in 2022 but quit due to bullying. The bullying did not stop after that, though, and her son continued to suffer from it, despite receiving professional counseling at school and, later, through a hospital. For a short period, he was on anti-depressants, but they made him ill, his mother said.
During her impassioned talk at the school board meeting, she called out faculty and administrators for not protecting her son by enforcing district policies against bullying. She also said district officials failed to notify her about the most recent bullying he experienced, even though the situation was made known to some of them.
“Something has to change in this district,” she said.
Windsor Superintendent Jason King issued the following statement after the board meeting:
“First and foremost, our thoughts, sympathy and heartfelt condolences remain with Chase’s family, his friends, our students and staff, and everyone in our community who loved him. This has been an incredibly difficult time for our school family, and we continue to grieve alongside those who are hurting.
“We are grateful for the ongoing, constructive dialogue we have had since this tragedy. These conversations are important, and we are listening. We are united in our commitment to ensuring Windsor C-1 remains a place where every student feels safe, supported and able to thrive. That commitment is unwavering.”
What can be done to stop bullying?
Marriott said that in the weeks and months preceding her son’s death, fellow students taunted him about his appearance and someone stole his basketball. In addition, some female students reportedly pretended to like him in an effort to ridicule him.
“Somebody was really making fun of his hair to the point he shaved his head,” she said. “There were girls emotionally harassing him, trying to act like they liked him and then turned around and made fun of him.”
Marriott said a student eyewitness told her that at some point one of her son’s harassers told him to kill himself.
“That could have been the trigger, the moment he decided ‘I can’t take this anymore,’” she said.
Marriott said district officials should make it easier for students to report bullying.
“Definitely, doing anonymous reporting,” she said.
Marriott said she knows the district has anti-bullying rules in place, but she feels they are not effective.
“There needs to be follow-through,” she said. “(If bullying is reported), they ask for evidence. But, they have a policy against (students) having cell phones in school. How can you get evidence?”
In addition, Marriott said the school should alert parents about any bullying, adding that her son often kept the bullying he was experiencing to himself, at least at home.
“Notify parents when accusations are made,” she said. “I could have decided to not put my student back in school until the investigation was decided.”
Marriott also said the district needs to better train its employees to take notice of and react to bullying.
“Staff needs to have training on the signs of bullying and mental distress,” she said.
Marriott said her son was a wonderful person who helped care for his younger five siblings, and losing him was devastating.
“He was the best son a mother could ever ask for,” she said. “He was responsible. He held a job. He literally was a third caregiver (in addition to her and her husband). This is putting our family in shambles. He helped take care of his severely autistic brother. My autistic son is struggling a lot, asking for Chase.”
Marriott said she is not optimistic that anything will change to stop bullying in the Windsor schools.
District resident Tanya Moder also spoke at the meeting, saying she knows the family and was aware of the bullying.
“We all need to do better to protect our children,” she said.
Moder also said district officials should do more to prevent bullying in Windsor schools.
“Every report needs to be investigated by an outside party, like a school resource officer,” she said. “The problem is there are no repercussions for bullying.
“We’re tired of empty promises. We want our children to be safe.”
Moder acknowledged that bullying is a widespread problem, adding that bullying has been persistent in Windsor schools over the years.
“I don’t feel it’s worse here than in other districts,” she said. “But, this is not an isolated incident. I pulled my son out of Windsor High School (years ago) because of bullying. It’s been a problem for decades.”
Resources
King said the district offered grief counseling following Chase’s death.
“In response to this heartbreaking loss, the district immediately made grief counseling available to students and staff,” he said. “On Monday, March 31, a total of eight counselors were on-site at Windsor High School, including three from (the high school), two from Windsor Middle School and three from our contracted support organizations. Four additional counselors were on standby, and the ASPEN Network was prepared to offer further services if needed. Counselors were stationed in classrooms upon request and in designated areas throughout the building to ensure students had easy access to support throughout the day.”
King said Windsor High School also held a “Phoenix Suns Day” honoring Chase’s favorite NBA team.
“In addition, students and staff joined together in a moment of silence to remember and reflect on his life,” King said. “It was a meaningful way for our school community to come together in grief, support one another, and honor his memory.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control website, there were more than 49,000 deaths by suicide in the U.S. in 2023, the most recent statistics on the site.
The CDC site also shows that males were approximately four times more likely than females to die by suicide that year.
The suicide rate in 2023 was 13.5 per 100,000 for those 15-24, and the highest suicide rate was 22.7 per 100,000 for those 85 and older.
Sue Curfman, senior vice president of regional corporate services for Compass Health Network, said her agency offers the following programs for youth and schools:
■ School-Based Mental Health, designed to provide specialized mental health services embedded in the schools to improve student functioning between home and school;
■ Community Support Programs for Youth, which provide therapeutic interventions and teach skills in the home and school environment to support the youth and family to achieve their goals;
■ School-Based Prevention Services, provided for students in kindergarten through eighth grade in classroom-based prevention programs that are age appropriate and educational, teaching new skills and encouraging students to make positive and educated choices when faced with difficult decisions;
■ Pinocchio, a school-based program designed to help kindergarten through third grade students identified as having mild to moderate adjustment concerns.
In addition, Compass has a Youth Behavioral Health Urgent Care, 111 Mexico Court, in St. Peters (for children aged 5-17) from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily (including weekends and holidays) offering immediate assessment and crisis intervention for youth experiencing a behavioral health crisis, such as intense emotional states and/or substance-related crisis. No registration is necessary, but the office phone number is 833-356-2427.
Curfman said other organizations in the St. Louis area offer a number of other programs to help youth with mental health and behavioral health services.
The St. Louis Regional Suicide Prevention Coalition will offer a free webinar, “Stronger Together: Workplace Wellness and Suicide Prevention,” from noon to 1:30 p.m. Friday, May 16. Sally Spencer-Thomas, a clinical psychologist, international speaker and advocate, and Brandon Anderson, vice president of safety at Associated General Contractors of Missouri, are the webinar’s speakers.
The webinar is free for most, but it costs $20 for those who wish to use the webinar to satisfy continuing education requirements.
To register or for more information, visit web.cvent.com/event/35342878-8182-4582-84a8-6053bc862fe3/summary.