WILMINGTON, Del. – A sixth-grader who was bullied for having the last name Trump is a perfect example of why we should all be a little bit kinder to each other, his principal said.

Joshua Trump, who is not related to the 45th president, started getting bullied two years ago when he was at Claymont Elementary School in Wilmington, his principal said. Donald Trump was elected on Nov. 8, 2016.

Now, Joshua's family is changing his last name in an attempt to leave the negative connotations associated with Trump behind.

"I had to sit down with my son and hear him tell me that he hates himself and that he feels sad all the time," his mother, Megan Trump, posted on Facebook. She did not return calls for additional comment.

Going forward, the family told 6ABC, Joshua's last name will be the same as his father's: Berto.

More:Girl forced to walk 5 miles to school after dad hears she bullied another student

More:Melania Trump says she's one of the most bullied people in the world

New school, new start?

Joshua's parents homeschooled him in 2017-18 but decided to enroll him at Talley Middle School this fall, Principal Mark Mayer said.

"They came into open house and shared that at a previous school he had had some challenges with his last name," Mayer said.

To help make sure Joshua didn't get made fun of, teachers avoided using his last name, calling him "Joshua" or "Joshua T.," instead, he said.

Things seemed to be going well.

Then, last Wednesday, Joshua's family brought some concerns about their son to school staff. Two kids had called Joshua names during gym, while three others had called him names and touched him on the bus, Mayer said.

Neither concern seemed to be related to his last name, said Alexis Andrianopoulos, a spokesperson for the Brandywine School District. All five students were disciplined and were apologetic, Mayer said.

"Sometimes our kids don't understand that what they say can negatively impact somebody else," he said.

That might have been the end of it, but Joshua switched buses, and when he got on the new one, the driver asked him to confirm his first and last name.

"He said Joshua Trump," Mayer said. "And there was a reaction."

Several students on the bus made fun of Joshua's last name, repeating it out loud several times, Mayer said.

Joshua's mom posted the story on Talley Middle School's Facebook page, and school administrators called the family the next morning.

Everyone sat down on Tuesday, and Joshua revealed that some of the students had been making fun of his name for some time, but he hadn't told anyone.

"Things happen and they don't share it with the school; they don't share it with their parents," Mayer said.

Teaching students empathy

Mayer said Joshua's parents are working to get his last name legally changed to Berto.

In the meantime, the school has updated its electronic database so that substitute teachers and staff don't accidentally call him Trump.

The school is also working to support Joshua socially and emotionally. They've created a way for him to check in with the guidance counselor and behavioral health consultant and are assigning him mentors, Mayer said.

"Ultimately, he's not in a good place," the principal said. "This dynamic for him is hard, and we're going to do what we can to support him and make him feel better about himself."

Andrianopoulos said the Brandywine School District takes bullying seriously.

"At Talley specifically, this year has been focused on relationship building and understanding each student’s story," she said. "Students meet in groups with school counselors every other week to receive valuable lessons on team building, relationships, social and emotional learning, and building connections with each other."

Mayer said one of the lessons they try to teach students is that words matter and that people should be kind to each other.

"With the political climate and the access to social media, Snapchat and Instagram ... it's this constant trying to make them understand that what they say has an impact on how people feel about themselves," Mayer said.

The same lesson applies to the adults in the building, he said. Middle schoolers are figuring out who they are and who they want to be, and teachers have a huge role in their development.

"They need to feel socially and emotionally well to perform and achieve academic excellence," Mayer said.

Follow Jessica Bies on Twitter: @jessicajbies.