OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — Parents, students and grandparents gathered outside the Okeechobee County School Board on Monday, demanding greater accountability over bullying concerns after a 14-year-old student said relentless harassment pushed her to a breaking point.
Signs lined the street as protesters chanted "no more bullying" and "hold bullies accountable," rallying around 14-year-old Estrella Ventura Meras, a student at Okeechobee Achievement Academy.
Last week, WPTV reported on a video showing Estrella jumping from the window of a moving school bus. WPTV is not showing the video.
Estrella told WPTV she jumped to escape students who had been bullying her since the start of the school year. She said she later went home and attempted to take her own life.
"I thank God he gave me another chance to live," Estrella said, holding back tears.
Her mother, Estela Meras, said she found her daughter pale and lying next to a pill bottle. She said Estrella had left behind a note saying she was tired.
"What if I hadn't found her there lying in bed?" Meras said as she became emotional.
Now, Estrella and her mother are calling for change.
"I just hope there's justice and the students responsible," said Estela Meras. "Everybody was on the bus laughing about her instead of helping her. If it was me, I would have been helping somebody."
Estrella told WPTV she repeatedly reported the alleged bullying to teachers and administrators at Okeechobee Achievement Academy but said nothing changed. Her mother said she also previously raised concerns about bullying involving her daughter and now wants the district to reevaluate how it handles those reports.
Other families at Monday's protest told WPTV they have also raised concerns about bullying at Okeechobee Achievement Academy and believe more needs to be done.
"Somebody has to take some accountability somewhere," protester Maria Rodriguez said.
District says Estrella's case remains under investigation
Okeechobee County Schools said it shares parents' belief that "bullying has no place in our schools" and that every student deserves to feel safe, supported and heard.
The district said the allegations involving Estrella remain under investigation. Citing federal student privacy law, district officials said they could not publicly discuss details of the investigation, education records or any potential student discipline.
The district said schools are responsible for investigating bullying allegations reported by students and parents. If a family believes a school has failed to act on a complaint, district officials said the family should contact the district office so administrators can review both the allegations and the school's response.
"We take allegations that reports have gone unaddressed seriously," district spokesperson Dr. Joseph Stanley said in a statement to WPTV.
Under School Board Policy 5.321, bullying reports can be made verbally, in writing or anonymously, and no specific reporting form is required. The policy calls for separate, confidential interviews and a review of evidence, with investigative procedural steps to be completed within a maximum of 10 school days, according to the district.
The district said the policy also requires parents to be promptly notified when an investigation begins and requires a written report and recommendations for corrective action. It also includes provisions for counseling, intervention and follow-up measures intended to protect students.
Four other bullying complaints investigated this school year
The district told WPTV that Okeechobee Achievement Academy has completed investigations into four other reports of alleged bullying during the current school year. Those cases involved four alleged victims and nine alleged perpetrators.
None of the four complaints was substantiated as bullying, according to the district. Those cases are separate from the investigation involving Estrella, which remains open.
However, the district stressed that an allegation being unsubstantiated as "bullying" does not necessarily mean no inappropriate behavior occurred.
Florida law defines bullying as "systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt or psychological distress" on one or more students. The district said a single incident generally does not meet that definition on its own, although one incident could reveal a broader pattern. Conduct that does not legally qualify as bullying could also constitute harassment or another violation requiring intervention or discipline.
District officials said cooperation from students and parents is important during investigations because details about incidents, witnesses, previous reports and other evidence can help investigators determine what happened. The district said limited participation can restrict the information available to investigators but does not prevent officials from reviewing the evidence they can obtain.
District says no policy changes are planned
Despite calls from some parents for changes, Okeechobee County Schools said it believes its existing policies comply with Florida law and provide a thorough framework for responding to bullying allegations.
The district said no procedural, staffing, disciplinary or policy changes are currently under consideration in response to the concerns raised by families.
Instead, officials said their focus is on consistently implementing existing requirements, conducting thorough investigations and taking appropriate action based on the evidence.
For Estrella's mother and the families who stood alongside her Monday, however, the protest was about making sure their concerns are heard before another child reaches a breaking point.
"All we want is answers for Estrella," Rodriguez said.
