Utah school speaks out after Drayke Hardman's death

The United States continues to be shocked by the case of Drayke Hardman, the 12-year-old boy who committed suicide on February 9 after being physically and verbally harassed by a schoolmate.

Drayke attended Scholar Academy in Tooele City. The executive director of the Utah Charter School Board, the school's governing body, told 2KUTV that they have never received any complaints regarding bullying, including Drayke.

School Director Traelle Gailey said in a statement:

“Our whole school community is greatly saddened by the news of Drayke’s passing. Our hearts go out to his parents and siblings. It is extremely important that the School protect and respect the family’s privacy at this time. We certainly appreciate the parents’ communication with us and their support for Scholar Academy on social media. As a school we take bullying very seriously and our goal is always to protect our students and provide a safe school environment. In all cases of discipline, we follow our school policies. Last week we were able to provide grief counselors for students and staff. We have a HOPE squad and are in the process of implementing the SafeUT App.”

On February 9, Drayke's two older sisters found the boy unconscious in his room, and he was rushed to the hospital.

The lives of Samie and Andrew Hardman, the victim's parents, changed in a matter of seconds when efforts to save their son were not enough.

In the midst of the pain, his parents decided to share Dryake’s story to raise awareness among parents to educate their children about the consequences of bullying.

According to his parents, Drayke's death results from a year of enduring physical and emotional aggression from a classmate.

His death was the start of the #DoItForDrayke campaign on Instagram, which aims for thousands of people to share the issue that affects 7 out of 10 children in the world, according to ONS Bullying Without Borders.