The California teenager left a note saying he could no longer “handle school” and had “no friends,” according to the $1 million claim that was rejected by the school. The teen’s parents say a video of their son allegedly masturbating in a school bathroom stall went viral.
The parents of 14-year-old Matthew Burdette, who committed suicide after allegedly being bullied, had filed a claim of $1 million against the San Diego school district in May.
According to Burdette's parents, their son was "mercilessly bullied" after a video taken of him allegedly masturbating in a school bathroom went viral.
His parents say the school district is responsible for their son's death and allege that officials did nothing to stop the harassment faced by Burdette in the weeks leading up to his suicide.
The claim filed in May was rejected by the school. The family now has six months to file a lawsuit.
Burdette, a student of University City High School in San Diego, killed himself on Nov. 29. He left a suicide note saying he was unable to "handle school" and had "no friends."
According to the complaint, on Nov. 15, Burdette's teacher asked him to leave the class for eating sunflower seeds. The unsupervised teen had "no place to go" and wandered the school halls before going to the bathroom.
Without his knowledge, a student videotaped Burdette allegedly masturbating in the bathroom stall. Within hours, the video was uploaded on Snapchat and Vine and went viral among UCHS students as well as students from other schools in the district.
The complaint then states that from the moment the video was posted, "Matthew was mercilessly bullied, harassed, and teased" by students who had seen it.
Despite being aware of the video and ongoing bullying, Burdette's parents claim that the school personnel "did nothing to protect Matthew and stop the harassment that ultimately led to his suicide."
Burdette's parents say that their once "positive and outgoing" son was "visibly wrought with insecurity and depression" as he continued to be bullied days after the video was posted.
