Parents, school board clash after son's suicide


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CEDAR CITY — In Cedar City, emotions flared at a school board meeting over the topic of bullying and suicide.

This comes as the community mourns the death of a 16-year-old boy who recently took his life.

Things got so heated at Tuesday’s school board meeting that board members called for law enforcement to be present. The father of the boy, who died two weeks ago, alleged that the school district didn’t do enough to protect his son from constant bullying.

“I don't think we need to put everybody in this room through the verbal abuse, excuse me, that you just put our board through,” said one of the school board members.

Using sometimes graphic language, Bryce Garant spoke directly to board members of the Iron County School District.

“You're all negligent and you're all going to be held responsible,” he said at the meeting.

He said years of bullying against his son Jason Dozier went unanswered by school officials.

“We did everything we could. We notified you guys. He'd been bullied for six years. We called the police, the principals, the staff. Everybody knew it,” Bryce Garant said.

The 16-year-old was a junior at Cedar High School who enjoyed archery and art. His parents allege that the bullying included constant harassment and physical altercations.

“We never were notified by the school. It was always he came home and said ‘I got hit, I got beat up. Somebody jumped me from behind and slammed my face into the wall,’” Bryce Garant said.

“I even went to the principal and we told the principal exactly what was going on,” said Jason’s mother, True Garant. “And they promised they would take care of him and they would watch out for him. And it didn’t happen.”

Photo: KSL TV
Photo: KSL TV

“Our hearts really went out to him as well as the rest of the family,” said Iron County Schools Superintendent Shannon Dulaney.

Dulaney pushes back at allegations that the family’s complaints weren’t addressed.

“Much was done,” Dulaney said. “We do care about every kid. And we have processes within our district, programs, where we concentrate on issues like bullying.”

The discussion at the meeting included other students and parents, even employees of the district coming forward to also discuss issues with bullying. The meeting ended on a more cooperative tone than it started.

“The bullying needs to stop,” True Garant said. “The parents need to listen to the kids but the schools need to listen to kids, too. They need to put a stop to this.”

Photo: KSL TV
Photo: KSL TV

Jason’s parents hope their tragedy will possibly save lives of other teenagers by raising awareness and creating change.

“He was the most caring person there was out there,” Bryce Garant said. “He just loved everybody.”

Iron County School District said there’s always more that can be done but also said the community needs to be more involved. The district is planning a special parent’s night Oct. 17 to specifically discuss bullying and suicide prevention.

Suicide prevention resources
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, KSL encourages you to call the suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK.

Crisis Hotlines

  • Utah County Crisis Line: 801-226-4433
  • Salt Lake County/UNI Crisis Line: 801-587-3000
  • Wasatch Mental Health Crisis Line: 801-373-7393
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
  • Trevor Project Hotline for LGBTQ teens: 1-866-488-7386

Online resources

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Ladd Egan

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