The director of schools in Polk County, Tenn., says an internal investigation could not substantiate claims that a student was bullied before taking his own life last month.
But a former student and the boy's mother and brother voice doubts about school officials' efforts to combat bullying and accuse administrators of ignoring the problem.
Copper Basin High School student Patrick Griffin, 18, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound March 5. Griffin's mother, Doresa, and older brother, Raymond, say he was the victim of bullying.
"I think my brother was singled out ... because he was a lot smarter than most kids his age. He didn't have to open a book to study and he was extremely intelligent," Raymond Griffin said. "Unfortunately, he did not talk about it. I wish that he would have."
Doresa Griffin said Polk officials were made aware of some verbal bullying problems last year when someone started a rumor that Patrick Griffin had threatened to bomb the band room.
"We thought we had that problem solved when he started back to school this year," said his mother. Now, "instead of spending Easter with my son, I am going to visit his grave. Instead of seeing my son walk across the stage and get his high school diploma and college diploma, I will be visiting a grave."
She believes something could have been done if school officials had been more aggressive.
Copper Basin High School"Bullying by students is what led to his decision and the administration does not care," the angry mother said. "They turn a blind eye to it."
Dr. James Jones, director of schools, said the school system launched an investigation after Patrick Griffin died and found no evidence to support bullying claims. He said a letter Griffin left with a friend the day before his suicide did not indicate "that bullying was the reason he made that decision."
"We can't know the reason [Griffin took his own life]; I don't want to be that presumptuous. But the information that we obtained did not lead us to believe that that [bullying] was the cause for his making that decision," Jones said.
Jones said he was bullied himself in junior high, and feels for those going through the same torment.
"I was a chubby kid and I was 'chesty.' I was pinched and called a girl, the whole bit," he said. "I am very sensitive to those kinds of things because I went home many of those days thinking I would never go back.
"We try to do everything we can to be sensitive to students who let us know they are being bullied. I can assure you that nobody's ever come to my office or to an administrator's office, that I know of, and complained about being bullied and nothing been done about it."
Schools everywhere have varying levels of bullying problems at every grade level and always have, Jones said. Polk teachers and administrators undergo training on bullying and suicide prevention to improve their response,he said.
Former student Dalton Jones attended Polk County Schools for 12 years and says she was bullied from kindergarten until she was a graduating senior at Polk County High School.
She said her mother went to Jones' office "at least three times a year since I was little; nothing was ever done about it."
"I was called names every day, was told to kill myself multiple times a day by numerous people," the now-19-year-old wrote in an email to the Times Free Press. "My mother took it to school and nothing was done. I told teachers, the vice principal at the time, still nothing was done, so we hired a lawyer and nothing still was done."
The schools director said he doesn't specifically remember Dalton Jones' case but flatly denies that officials didn't listen or try to help.
"It's just so hard to stop," Jones said. "It's age-old; it's been around since the beginning of time. We can just do the best that we can do with the information and the training that we get."
Nothing can bring back her son, but Doresa Griffin said she hopes the attention his death brings to bullying problems can help future victims.
More than a month after Patrick Griffin's death, his family is still grappling with life without him.
"Patrick was loved by everyone in his family and it is hard learning to live without him," Doresa Griffin said.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.