Johnston Co. parents speak with school administrators after 11-year-old daughter bullied over her skin color

Imagine getting this text as a parent: "Mommy, can I please switch schools?"

A young girl says classmates have been making fun of her because of the color of her skin.

After the heartbreak of bullying, 11-year-old Dalaya Hooper is now getting support and compliments from people across the country on social media.

A Facebook post made by her mother has been shared more than 8,600 times, where she shared the heart-wrenching texts received from her daughter.

"Everyone keeps making fun of my skin color or the way I look. And then people keep making jokes about me saying that I'm from Africa because I'm super black, and they say that I stayed in the oven for too long because I'm basically the color of burnt."

The family says Johnston County Public Schools suggested these solutions: have Dalaya leave classes early to avoid being bothered – or register in different courses.

"Why should my child have to change when she's the victim?" asked Dawnetta Hooper, her mother.

WRAL's Adam Owens spoke with a psychotherapist about the impact this could have long-term.

“Initially, you need to address the bullies and the bullying," said Dr. Kamala Uzzell, a psychotherapist. "So if anyone needs to be removed from a classroom, it should be the people who are doing the wrong thing – not the person who was doing the right thing.”

Dawnetta Hooper said she’s speaking out, not only for her daughter, but for other young children at this middle school afraid to come forward about bullying.

"One thing that won’t happen is my child growing up hating any part of her. She is a beautiful, smart, and vibrant little girl. I won’t allow anyone to dim her light," she shared on her Facebook post.

As a loving mother, Dawnetta Hooper aims to protect her three children at any costs. She felt helpless when Dalaya sent her the disturbing text message during a work meeting. She says the taunting at Riverwood Middle School has continued since the start of the academic year.

On Friday, Dalaya Hooper decided to go to school.

"She felt as if the kids were going to blame her for the bullies getting in trouble and she did not want to go," Dawnetta Hooper said of her daughter.

When WRAL News reached out to Johnston County Public Schools to verify these claims and if officials are investigating the matter, we received the following response:

"Johnston County Public Schools is aware of the social media post and is actively looking into the situation. While the district is not authorized to share confidential student information, allegations like these are taken seriously and handled according to Board policy."

Pittsboro leaders invite Dalaya Hooper to light tree at Sunday's Holly Days event

Pittsboro leaders saw Hooper's story and wanted to help. They have invited Hooper to light the town's tree at this weekend's Holly Days event. Hooper and her family have accepted the invitation.

The event runs from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday in front of the historic courthouse at 9 Hillsboro St. It features tree-lighting festivities, live entertainment, free photos with santa, vendors and downtown shopping.

Words of healing from across social media

"To an 11-year-old, words matter. They cut deep," Dawnetta Hooper said.

Words of affirmation have the power to heal. As the viral post gained traction, supportive messages began flooding in.

Dawnetta Hooper reads the empowering messages to her daughter: "She's gorgeous. She's beautiful and a powerful young lady. Don’t let them break you. Because Mommy’s got your back. Always. "

The Hooper family met with school administrators on Friday, calling for justified consequences against students accused of bullying.