The superintendent of the State College Area School District updated families Thursday following the death of a Park Forest Middle School student, writing that reports of bullying are being investigated but no evidence has been found that a person or incident is responsible.
Eighth-grader Abby Smith died on Sunday, and in the days since The State College community is in mourning the death of a girl described as a “kind and intelligent young woman who brightened the lives of those around her.”
In a letter to families Thursday afternoon, Superintendent Curtis Johnson said that since Sunday, the district has received numerous communications and Safe2Say reports that target individuals for bullying. Abby’s family did not know she was being bullied and do not believe that was the reason she died by suicide, Johnson wrote.
SCASD administration and law enforcement agencies are still investigating.
“At this time, we have found no evidence that any one person or incident is responsible,” Johnson wrote. “Additionally, we have not received any previously related Safe2Say reports.”
Abby, an eighth-grader at Park Forest Middle School, has two brothers in the district. A Meal Train donation page was created for the Smith family and had raised $48,650 as of Thursday.
A percussionist in the Park Forest Middle School band, Abby was looking forward to joining the marching band and taking cooking classes at State High, according to your obituary. She loved making crafts with her mother and learned to cook from her father. She was preparing to be a leader in training at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center this summer, the camp she had been attending since she was four years old.
“Abby was a loving, creative, fiercely protective and determined old soul with a large group of family and friends who loved her immensely,” her obituary read.
The district asked that families not spread misinformation and that parents talk to students about spreading rumors. Any credible information must be reported to the district or through Safe2Saythe anonymous school safety reporting system.
“My hope is that this information will help create more understanding, and that our conversations will turn to remembering Abby as the caring and loving young woman she was,” Johnson wrote. “In the coming days, let’s focus on helping each other and taking care of each other.”
Additional mental health support professionals were hired to help students at Park Forest Middle School and classrooms across the district on Monday. Counselors will continue to be available to students as needed, Johnson wrote.
SUICIDE PREVENTION RESOURCES
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 988
Suicide and life-saving crisis: Call or text 988 or chat at 988Lifeline.org
Community Resource Center: Visit 2100 E. College Ave., 24/7
