The parents of Nathan Bronstein, a 15-year-old teenager who committed suicide in January, have denounced his school in Chicago, members of the educational center, and the parents of several students whom he accuses of not confronting the bullying suffered by his son.
Robert and Rosellene Bronstein say that the Latin School of Chicago educational institution "did nothing" to prevent harassment, despite having received complaints from them and from the minor himself.
On January 13, the young man's father found him hanging from the shower with a rope around his neck, denounces the lawsuit to which the NBC News station in Chicago had access.
Despite efforts to revive him, the minor was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Nathan Bronstein, in a family photo. NBC affiliate in Chicago.
The reason that allegedly triggered the harassment against the young man at the prestigious school, whose cost reaches $40,000 a year, was that he was not vaccinated against the coronavirus, a false rumor allegedly launched by one of the students whose parents are named in the lawsuit. and who were confronted about it by the family, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The young man suffered cyberbullying by members of the basketball team through text messages, and by other students through the Snapchat social network.
According to his parents, in a December 13 message they encouraged him to commit suicide.
"He was carrying this with him until January 13 and we had no idea," Rosellen Bronstein told NBC Chicago.
"He was carrying all this pain and the insults and obscenities from that large group of students and we didn't find out about it until two weeks after he killed himself," she added.
The parents had been in contact with school staff and his mother alerted a counselor that her son might self-harm.
In the lawsuit, they say that the institution described the concerns as "family problems."
Her mother contacted the school about 30 times between November and October.
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"My son was so alone. Not only did the administrators who were supposed to protect him ignore his cries for help, they had the self-serving gall to try to protect their own reputations after his death," the mother said in a statement.
The school responded to the lawsuit by saying in a post that "allegations of misconduct by institution officials are inaccurate and misplaced";
he further argued that his workers are compassionate and that "the school will defend" all teachers and staff.
The suit asks for compensation of 100 million and the parents say that, if they win, they will donate the money to institutions that fight against bullying.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visit
SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources
for more help.