The principal at Sunrise Elementary School in Ocala called the school resource officer for help Tuesday after a first-grade student had a “temper tantrum” and said, “I wish I could die.”
The principal and the resource officer, who is a Marion County sheriff’s deputy, spoke with the student at the school, which is located at 375 Marion Oaks Crse. The 6-year-old said he had bumped his head during P.E. class and was angry about the incident. The boy said he believed the “whole class” was laughing at him. And he said he didn’t know what his statement meant or why he said it, a sheriff’s office report states.
The principal called the boy’s mother and she said that “he might have heard it from someone or possibly on television.” She added that she’s never made that kind of statement at home, the report says.
The principal referred the student for risk assessment and counseling. The deputy then made contact with the Department of Children and Families, which agreed to take the case. The deputy also notified a sheriff’s sergeant about the incident and planned to email the Crisis Intervention Unit as well.