Mother sues New Jersey school board, educators over daughter Felicia LoAlbo-Melendez’s suicide after the young girl suffered years of bullying

The mother of a young girl who committed suicide due to frequent bullying has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the school board for failing to take action.

Elaina LoAlbo claims her 11-year-old daughter, Felicia LoAlbo-Melendez, was harassed and bullied for years because of her physical appearance, Latina roots and “perceived sexual orientation” by students at the FW Holbein School in New Jersey.

LoAlbo’s lawsuit alleges that nothing was done to help her sixth-grader, despite numerous emails being sent to school officials “about persistent and systemic bullying.”

The harassment reportedly included Felicia being harassed, taunted, called derogatory names and pushed down a flight of stairs.

The filings name Mount Holly Schools Superintendent Robert Mungo, Principal Daniel Finn, counselors and teachers as accused of negligence and failing to protect her daughter from a “long, sustained period of bullying.”

Felicia hanged herself in the school bathroom on February 6 and died two days later.

Elaina said at a press conference: ‘She regularly came home crying. It just became unbearable there.”

The grieving mother claims the bullying took place by a group of seven children via cell phones and in person.

The lawsuit also states that Felicia was excluded from social situations because of her “advocated position that love was love and that she could love someone else of the same or different gender.”

The case also alleges that two of the children challenged Felicia to “stop letting herself live.”

In one of the many emails Felicia sent to the school about the bullying she was exposed to, at one point she suggested creating a “trauma club” where people would talk about the things they’ve been through .

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Elaina couldn’t hold back her tears as she revealed her last conversation with her daughter on February 6, when she said Felicia wanted to go to school and take part in a play.

“I never in a million years thought that day would have turned out like this,” Elaina told DailyMail.com.

‘I wanted her to stay home. I wanted to get our nails done. And she came into my room that morning. Kiss me goodbye.

‘We had plans for her to stay home and she said, ‘No mom, I’m missing too much school. I want to be in the play today.’

‘She played a role in a play. I said, “Okay, I love you.” I kissed her. I asked her to take out the recycling and she went to school. It was a day like no other.’

“An autopsy conducted by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that the cause of death was suicide, and the cause of death was complications from hanging,” the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office wrote in a news release.

“An investigation into the student’s death by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, which included a review of the school’s surveillance cameras, revealed that she was alone in the restroom when this tragic action occurred.

‘The investigation also showed that there was no foul play.’

According to Elaina, Felicia regularly saw the school’s guidance counselor and a private therapist to mourn the death of her father Alexis Melendez, a NJ police investigator who died in January of pancreatic cancer.

Elaina said her daughter’s private therapist and the good “cancer community” helped her cope with the loss.

A week before Felicia’s death, the girl had sent her school counselor an email saying she was being bullied and that the school was breaking the law by not doing anything about it, Elaina claims.

But the counselor allegedly responded by calling mother Elaina to “reprimand” her and tell the high school student to “watch her language,” she claims.

The same day, Felicia saw her therapist and was evaluated, per the school counselor’s request.

“I had my daughter psychologically examined that afternoon and she was found to be of sound mind and had not harmed herself,” Elaina told DailyMail.com.

Elaina added that school officials did not address her daughter’s concerns the next day.

‘The school did nothing. The school did not question her or any of the bullies and they failed.”

Elaina confronted school officials in person about her daughter’s problems because she knew she wouldn’t receive the same response via email.

Last December, she recalled talking to the school principal about moving Felicia to other classrooms. Although the school was supposed to make the switch for the 11-year-old, they never did, according to Elaina.

“I even went so far as to call other families and talk to them about their children’s bullying. Obviously none of this helped the situation,” Elaina added.

Elaina encouraged her daughter to stand up for herself and be an advocate.

“I encouraged my daughter to take up Krav Maga (a form of marital art),” she said.

“I encouraged her to verbally stand up for herself and advocate for herself. It’s clear that’s why she sent the emails – to stand up for herself. ‘

Despite the bullying, Elaina felt like her daughter was getting through the hard parts of life. Felicia was actively involved in school and participated in band.

“She wanted to go to the Philharmonic in New York City because they had worked so hard for it,” Elaina said.

‘She thought her school friends and her tribe were people who helped her through these moments and she reached out to them. She felt like she was living through all these moments, as she should be, and I feel the same way.”

Elaina added that after a closer look at Felicia’s phone, there were no signs that she wanted to hurt herself.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth and young adults ages 10 to 24.

The rates are higher for children of color, and girls and young women are especially at risk.