Girl, 14, jumped out of school bus window to try and escape bullies then went home and attempted suicide

DAILYMAIL.COM • 2h ago

By KELLY GARINO, US REPORTER 17:42 13 Oct 2026, updated 17:45 13 Oct 2026

A Florida teenager who leaped from a school bus window to escape relentless bullying later attempted to take her own life, leaving behind a heartbreaking note saying she was ‘tired.’

Estrella Ventura Meras, a 14-year-old seventh grader at Okeechobee Achievement Academy, about 100 miles south of Orlando, was left in intensive care earlier this month after surviving a suicide attempt, according to WPTV News.

Her family said she had been targeted by other girls since the beginning of the school year, with the bullying becoming so intense that her mother said her daughter’s mental state had ‘degraded.’

In a now-viral video, Estrella was seen climbing through the window of a moving school bus before dropping to the ground and running off, as other students laughed and filmed her.

‘She just feared for her life,’ family member Vanessa Sanchez told the outlet.

‘She didn’t trust the bus driver to do anything,’ she added. ‘She didn’t trust going out the front or back door, so she jumped out the bus window.’

Once home, Estrella took a handful of medication before leaving a gut-wrenching note that read: ‘I’m tired of this.’

Her family found her in time to get her life-saving medical care. Now, they are demanding accountability, alleging that she repeatedly reported the bullying to school officials who failed to intervene.

‘What if I hadn’t found her there lying in bed?’ her mother, Estela Meras, tearfully asked WPTV News.

‘I just hope there’s justice [for] the students responsible,’ she added. ‘Everybody was on the bus laughing about her instead of helping her. If it was me, I would have been helping somebody.’

Meanwhile, the Okeechobee County School District acknowledged the incident but maintained that it ‘takes reports of bullying seriously,’ according to the outlet.

‘Every student deserves to feel safe, and we take reports of bullying seriously,’ school officials said.

Estrella’s family described her as a once-bubbly girl whose personality had withered under a month of escalating bullying, which came to a head in the school parking lot last month.

In videos shared on Facebook by her mother, Estrella can be seen plunging from the bus window onto the pavement before getting straight back to her feet and running off, while the driver briefly chases after her.

‘The video below shows my daughter literally jumping out the school bus window to escape her bullies because they were trying to jump her,’ Meras captioned the post.

‘She knew that if she tried to defend herself, she would be the one facing consequences from the school,’ she added.

In a screenshot apparently taken from her daughter’s Snapchat account, a student named Kendall sent Estrella the video with the message: ‘Yo sister, a b***h.’

Estrella’s family said they returned home shortly after the bus incident to find her pale and lying beside a pill bottle, with a note revealing she was tired.

‘I reported the ongoing harassment repeatedly, and nothing was done. My daughter nearly paid the ultimate price for their inaction,’ her mother wrote on social media.

‘School bullying is a crisis, and staying silent or doing nothing is no longer an option,’ she added. ‘This failure almost cost my daughter her life.’

The teen was taken to the hospital in time to save her life and remained in the intensive care unit (ICU) for the next two days as she recovered.

‘I thank God he gave me another chance to live,’ she told WPTV News, holding back tears.

Estrella’s family alleged that she had repeatedly sought help from teachers and administrators at Okeechobee Achievement Academy over the bullying, only for her complaints to go unanswered.

Her mother said she had raised concerns about the ‘ongoing harassment,’ but said that ‘despite multiple reports to the school, zero action was taken.’

The teen and her loved ones have become increasingly vocal in their fight for justice, joined by parents, students and grandparents who gathered outside the school board last week with signs demanding greater accountability.

Chants of ‘no more bullying’ and ‘hold bullies accountable’ rang out along the roadside. Other families at the gathering told WPTV News they, too, had reported concerns to the school without seeing any results.

Many protesters said they want the district to rethink how it handles bullying complaints, pointing to Estrella’s harrowing case as a warning that more must be done before another child reaches a breaking point.

‘Somebody has to take some accountability somewhere,’ one protester, Maria Rodriguez, told the outlet.

District officials said they share parents’ anger and agree that ‘bullying has no place in our schools,’ adding that Estrella’s case remains under investigation.

The district has not disclosed what action, if any, it is taking, citing federal student privacy laws that prevent it from publicly discussing Estrella’s investigation, education records or potential student discipline.

Okeechobee County Schools said schools are required to investigate allegations raised by students and parents, which can be reported verbally, in writing or anonymously under board policy.

If families believe a school has failed to act, they should contact the district office so officials can examine both the complaint and how the school handled it.

‘We take allegations that reports have gone unaddressed seriously,’ district spokesperson Dr Joseph Stanley said in a statement to WPTV.

But the district has no plans to change its policies, officials said, insisting that the existing framework complies with Florida law and sets out a thorough process for handling bullying allegations.

Under the current policy, schools must conduct separate, confidential interviews and review evidence, with the investigative process completed within a maximum of 10 school days, according to the district.

Parents must also be promptly notified when an investigation begins, and schools are required to produce a written report with recommendations for corrective action.

It also provides for counseling, intervention and follow-up measures intended to protect students.

Officials said the school has wrapped up investigations into four other alleged bullying incidents reported this school year, involving four alleged victims and nine alleged perpetrators.

None of the four complaints was ultimately confirmed as bullying, according to the district, which added that the finding does not necessarily mean no inappropriate conduct occurred.

In Florida, bullying is defined as ‘systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt or psychological distress’ on one or more students.

The district said a single incident typically does not meet the definition of bullying, although it can reveal a broader pattern.

Despite families’ demands for change, officials said no procedural, staffing, disciplinary or policy changes are currently being considered in response to their concerns.

Instead, the district said it is focused on consistently enforcing existing requirements, conducting thorough investigations and taking appropriate action based on the evidence.

But Estrella’s family remained resolute in its calls for accountability, insisting that their concerns must be heard before another student suffers a similar fate.

‘All we want is answers for Estrella,’ a protester said.

If you or someone you know in the US needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on 988. There is an online chat at 988lifeline.org.

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