IBERIA PARISH, La. (KLFY) -- The need to protect your child at all costs is something every mother knows. When 28-year-old Mar'Kajha Davis found out her son planned on hurting himself because of bullying, her motherly instincts kicked in.

Davis's nine-year-old son goes to Daspit Elementary in New Iberia. One day she picked her son up from school and a teacher notified her that he was threatening to hurt himself. He apparently told another student who then told the teacher. When she asked her son what was going on, He said he had been getting bullied for being black.

"He said he didn't like his skin color anymore," she said. "He didn't want to be dark. It is just a very heart-breaking situation."

Davis said her son told her the bullying was going on for months. Her son told his father he planned out how he was going to do it.

"Circling around what he said and letting him know how see what he said was very serious and not really that he can't take it back, but he can't take it back. I immediately brought him to the hospital," Davis said.

Her son stayed in the hospital for about a week. She said they told her he had been severely depressed from the bullying. Davis said she noticed signs something was wrong but could never pinpoint the issue. She advises parents to pay attention to their kids as mental health is a serious issue that can impact everyone at any age.

"These children, they know when, where and how," she said. "Even though we don't think they do, they definitely do. It's just it's just a sad situation all together. And it's very, very upsetting to me, my friends and my family that, you know, if he can't be safe to go to school, then where can he be safe at? Where can he go?"

Latest news