Parents say their young son took his own life after he was bullied by schoolmates who were spreading rumors that he was unvaccinated and his parents were “anti-vaxxers”, lawsuit
Parents claim in lawsuit that their 15-year-old son took his own life after he was bullied by his schoolmates. They say the high school student was bullied by other students to the point that he didn’t want to live to see his future. According to the lawsuit, the boy reportedly asked for a meeting with the dean after his classmates were bullying him via text messages and on social media. His classmates were reportedly spreading rumors around the school that he was unvaccinated. Unfortunately, the dean took no disciplinary action against any student and the boy’s report was also kept from his parents, the suit claims.
On December 13, 2021, the 15-year-old by from Illinois, Nate Bronstein, met with the dean of students to report the bullying. Unfortunately, the dean took no disciplinary action against any student and the student’s report was also kept from his parents, the Daily Mail reports.
On January 13, 2022, the high school student was found dead, hanging from the shower in their home with a cord tied around his neck. The boy’s parents, Robert and Rose, raised concerns about their son’s struggle to adjust to his new school with administrators, which was detailed in a 68-page lawsuit in the Circuit Court on Monday.
The parents discovered about the bullying after Nate’s death.
During an interview with CBS News, the boy’s mother, Rose Bronstein, reportedly said: “Our son would still be alive today if Latin would have done their job and reported to us what had gone on within the school.”
According to the lawsuit, Nate began experiencing and complaining about the the bullying in September 2021. Nate and one of his classmates at the Latin School were talking about the upcoming Homecoming dance. Unfortunately, he was told he was not allowed to join this student or the student’s friends.
Few days later, the boy discovered that the student had been spreading rumors around the school that he was unvaccinated. The student’s mother reportedly told Nate, “it must suck to have to take a Covid test every week?” Nate reportedly replied: “I’m vaccinated.” And yes, Nate was vaccinated, according to the lawsuit.
In another incident, Nate was approached by several students who reportedly asked him if his parents were “anti-vaxxers.”
According to the lawsuit, Rose and Robert reached out to the student’s parents and to the school to resolve the matter. Unfortunately, it only made matters worse because it led to continued harassment of their son. They say Nate was bullied by his classmates to the point that he didn’t want to live to see his future.
Nate’s classmates also sent text messages to Nate, one of which encourages Nate to kill himself and another was understood to be an indirect death threat.
The boy’s parents said that they were never told that Nate had asked for a meeting with his dean of students to report the harassment.
Every school in Illinois, including private schools, must have an anti-bullying policy, according to the Illinois General Assembly Public Act. That policy must include information about how bullying should be reported and how it is to be investigated, and also that bullying incidents must be reported to the parents of those involved, the Daily Mail reports.
Robert Bronstein also told CBS News: “Look, our son was 15, and his perception of what he can and can’t handle isn’t necessarily accurate – but that’s why the policies exist, and that’s why, now, the law exists – to involve parents. The school has to err on the side of a lot of transparency.”
The boy’s parents also said that they are not suing the school for the money. Both parents have pledged to donate any money gained through legal proceedings to anti-bullying and anti-suicide charities – with their goal of helping others in similar situations.
According to CBS News, the Latin School released the following statement:
“Our school community deeply grieves the tragic and untimely passing of one its students. It is a loss that impacts our whole community. Our hearts go out to the family, and we wish them healing and peace. With respect to their lawsuit, however, the allegations of wrongdoing by the school officials are inaccurate and misplaced.
The school’s faculty and staff are compassionate people who put students’ interests first, as they did in this instance. While we are not, at this time, going to comment on any specific allegation in this difficult matter, the school will vigorously defend itself, its faculty and its staff against these unfounded claims.”