A 12-year-old Las Vegas student tragically took her own life after enduring a year of relentless bullying, her family has revealed. The family alleges that the local school district rejected their plea to transfer their daughter, Flora Martinez, to another school. Flora, a sixth-grade student at Duane D. Keller Middle School, ended her life on May 7.
Alice Martinez, Flora’s mother, expressed her grief and frustration, stating that her daughter was “literally bullied to death.” Alice and Joshua Parker, Flora’s father, hold the Clark County School District responsible, accusing them of failing to protect their child.
According to the family, they had reported the bullying to the school’s assistant principal, but the harassment from Flora’s peers persisted. Alice Martinez revealed that the bullying began almost immediately at the start of the 2023-24 academic year and was so severe that she had attempted to transfer Flora to another school. However, the Clark County School District allegedly denied this request in October 2023.
The family claims that the bullying escalated after Flora returned to school, gradually eroding the spirit of a girl once described as vibrant and empathetic. Joshua Parker emphasized that this was not a single incident but a culmination of months of bullying that Flora could no longer endure.
Flora’s former classmate, Rico, expressed his regret, stating that Flora was “so nice to everybody.” He expressed guilt for not doing more to help her. The family alleges that the bullying continued until the moment Flora took her life in her bedroom, shortly before a family dinner.
In their grief, Flora’s parents have accused the district of failing to protect their daughter. Alice Martinez stated that the school had a responsibility to keep her safe and had “failed miserably.” She added that everyone involved in denying the transfer request had let Flora down and urged other parents to take notice.
The tragedy of Flora’s suicide comes just two days after another young student, 10-year-old Sammy Teusch, also took his life following severe bullying. Sammy’s family had reportedly raised concerns about the bullying nearly two dozen times before the tragedy.