A 14-year-old boy from Central Pennsylvania killed himself late last week after facing bullying at school, much of which allegedly targeted his perceived sexual orientation.
Brandon Bitner, a freshman at Midd-West High School in Middleburg, about 50 miles north of Harrisburg, stepped in front of an oncoming tractor-trailer at about 3 a.m. Nov. 5. Police say he walked nearly 13 miles from his home in the middle of the night before jumping in the path of the 18-wheeler.
Bitner was a resident of Mount Pleasant Mills and a native of Harrisburg. His family has said he was an accomplished violinist who often dressed in dark clothing and wore his hair longer.
This “emo” style made him the target of school bullies, many of whom reportedly harassed him with antigay epithets, although his orientation was unknown.
On a website set up to remember Bitner, his family wrote that he was a “passionate, kind and unique soul.” A Facebook page created in his honor has drawn support from more than 4,000 people.
His mother, Tammy Simpson, told Sunbury’s The Daily Item that her son had been bullied for several years. Simpson said the family reported the bullying to his middle school and met with the school guidance counselor.
The harassment continued when Bitner started high school this fall. Simpson said that she wanted to contact school officials but that her son downplayed the situation.
Before leaving his house early Friday, he left a suicide note, in which he talked about recent bullying he faced at school. Simpson said he wrote that the “straw that broke the camel’s back” was an incident in which he was harassed by a student who was dressed as the school mascot in front of a large group of students.
Midd-West has not released an official statement yet, but superintendent Wayne Knapp did tell The Daily Item that the school has no records of Bitner reporting instances of bullying. However, faculty, staff and administrators are “asking ourselves what could I have done, what did I overlook that may have signaled a problem,” Knapp said.
Midd-West conducted an anti-bullying assembly Nov. 1, unrelated to Bitner’s situation, although several students reported that few youth took the lecture seriously.
Ted Martin, executive director of Equality PA, said the situation should be used as a directive for lawmakers to act on such measures as the Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Student Non-Discrimination Act, which seek to curb bullying, including harassment motivated by a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
“This calls attention to the importance of this type of legislation,” Martin said. “Even in the lame-duck session and the waning days of the legislature, there is certainly legislation they can and should be acting on. If they need any more encouragement or proof, this is it.”
A funeral for Bitner was held Wednesday in Liverpool.
For more information on him, visit www.brandonbitner.com.