Students Want NEISD to Acknowledge Bullying at Reagan High School Following Teen's Suicide on Campus

Friends of the Reagan High School student who committed suicide on campus during school hours last week are speaking out about bullying the teen faced before his death.

What's more, they're calling out district officials for not acknowledging it.

Following the death of Alonso Jones, a 16-year-old who died after being found unconscious in the school's weight room, a small group of students say Principal Brenda Shelton "didn't address any of the issues" or the concern for suicide awareness, KSAT reports.

One of those students, Juma Yacoub, considered Jones a friend. He said the teen was a "constant" target of bullying. Classmates targeted him for the clothes he wore and directed racial slurs toward him.

Yacoub said he even accompanied Jones to file a report about a bullying incident. When KSAT reached out to district officials, they said there was no history of Jones being bullied.

"We have absolutely no indication that Alonso was having issues with any other students," district spokesperson Aubrey Chancellor told KSAT. "When a report is filed regarding bullying, we investigate everyone. In this case though, there haven't been any."

Alyssa Jones, the teen's sister, said their mother is a teacher at the school. She said the school has an ongoing issue of racial bullying.

The district, however, maintains that isn't the case. North East ISD superintendent Sean Maika called the claims "misinformation" and denied that the district is sweeping them under the rug. However, in a letter sent to parents late last week, he wrote that the district began an investigation — one still ongoing — into Jones' death and the surrounding factors.

"While the investigation is ongoing — at this point, much of the information being discussed publicly is either incorrect, unsubstantiated or has not been provided to us," the letter read.

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