A 14-year-old Boy Scout from San Diego committed suicide after a video of him pleasuring himself in a school bathroom surfaced and went viral.
The teen’s parents, Timothy and Barbara Burdette, filed a $1 million claim against the San Diego Unified School District after they say a teacher kicked the boy out of class for eating sunflower seeds, causing the displaced teen to seek refuge in a campus bathroom.
While Matthew Burdette was in the bathroom stall having a quick toss, a fellow student videotaped him. That student then posted the video on social media, including SnapChat and Vine, and it quickly went viral.
“From the moment the video was posted, Matthew was mercilessly bullied, harassed and teased by students who had seen the video. This continued for the next two weeks,” the claim said.
The parents said officials with the San Diego Unified School District were aware of the video and the bullying.
Two weeks after the video went public, on Nov. 29, Matthew committed suicide. His family said he left a note saying he could not “handle school” and had “no friends.”
“Matthew took his life as a result of the embarrassment and humiliation caused by bullying related to the video and its distribution,” the claim said. source
The school district rejected the Burdettes’ claim, giving the family six months to file a lawsuit, according to U-T San Diego and the Los Angeles Times.
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School should be held accountable as well as the boy who did the recording & that boys' parents.
School is responsible since it allows cell phones & recording devices into their classrooms, into children's bathrooms & onto campus.
All recording devices & cell phones should be banned from campus.
If parents need to get a hold of their children, they can call the school office to send a note.
This is indeed a tragedy. I am so sorry this young man saw no way out of the embarrassment other than to take his life. It is another manifestation of how pervasive and damaging our cultural shame about our natural human bodies can be.
Still, I don't understand the claim against the school district. It is not their fault. Beyond the broader cultural issues above, the specific offender is the fellow student who shot and posted the video, who should be prosecuted for invasion of privacy and distribution of child pornography, as well as for the civil liability.