Photo:Meador Funeral Home; CBS Texas/YouTube
Meador Funeral Home; CBS Texas/YouTube
The Gainesville, Texas girl died on Saturday, Feb. 8, five days after she was admitted to a Dallas hospital,according toThe Dallas Morning News.
“I want people to remember my daughter as a happy girl,” Marbella Carranza, Jocelynn’s mother, told the newspaper.
On Saturday, Feb. 22 — three days after her funeral — family members, friends and residents of the small North Texas town remembered the girl, who loved Spider-Man and played the French horn.
Students at Gainesville Intermediate School wore shirts of the superhero in her memory and spoke about their friend at the event.
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Marbella previously told Univision that her daughter was bullied for having Hispanic parents, and that classmates told the girl that they would call Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take away her parents.
The mother previously claimed that her daughter’s school was aware of the alleged bullying and offered her daughter counseling, but said she only learned this later from investigators.
In a statement to PEOPLE, the Gainesville Independent School District did not explicitly acknowledge any awareness that Jocelynn had been bullied.
“While we cannot comment on specific student matters due to privacy laws, we want to emphasize that we take all reports of bullying and student safety concerns very seriously,” read the statement. “Our district follows strict protocols for investigating any allegations, and we are committed to fostering a safe and supportive environment for every student.”
Jocelynn’s death is being “actively investigated," the Gainesville Police Department previously told PEOPLE in a statement.
On Saturday, Jocelynn’s father, Ernesto Rojo, had a message for parents and students, amid the increasing politicization of immigration.
“Say no to bullying and no to racism,” Rojo said in Spanish. “For a better world.”
source: people.com
