A San Diego family who says their14 year old son killed himself after an embarrassing video went viral said the boy left a suicide letter saying he didn't want to kill himself but that he had "no friends."
In
a $1 million claim against the San Diego Unified School District, the
parents of Matthew Burdette contend that he was "bullied, harassed and
teased" after a video of him in a school bathroom was taken by a
classmate and posted online.
In the claim filed in May against the
district, Timothy and Barbara Burdette contend that at least one school
or district employee knew about the bullying but that nothing was done
to stop it, KGTV-TV reported.
Matthew killed himself last November.
The family said the boy left a letter.
"He
said, 'I can't do school anymore. I have no friends. I don't want to
kill myself, but I have no friends,'" said his aunt, Laura Mechak.
According
to the claim, a classmate surreptitiously filmed Matthew in the school
bathroom, and then posted it online saying that he was masturbating. The
video was viewed by students at several San Diego area high schools.
"Kids
saw this video and began to tease Matthew mercilessly," Mechak told the
station. "They made his life miserable over a two-week period."
The
boy, formerly outgoing, became dejected, and killed himself on a
Thanksgiving holiday at his family's cabin, according to the family's
claim.
The school district denied knowing about the video and
refused to disclose if the student who allegedly filmed the video faced
disciplinary action, according to an email sent to KGTV-TV.
Privacy laws prevent the district from discussing the circumstances of the boy's death, according to the statement.
After
Matthew's death, his high school held meetings about teen suicide, but
the meetings were "general" and not tied to a specific incident, the
email said.
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