His last social media post was on bullying. Mom’s lawsuit blames Texas school in death

A mom’s lawsuit says a Texas school district didn’t stop students from bullying her son until he eventually died by suicide.

The 11-year-old with autism was the victim of ongoing harassment and ridicule at Burleson Independent School District for several years before his death in 2018, according to the federal lawsuit filed Tuesday. It blames the school for failing to prevent the bullying about his appearance and disabilities.

“(The mother) brings forth this lawsuit with one major goal: That no other family in the Burleson ISD or elsewhere suffers the immense (loss) and pain that her family has suffered,” the lawsuit says.

The school district offered condolences to the family regarding the boy’s death but declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing the ongoing litigation.

“The loss of a student is tragic, and while we cannot comment or discuss details regarding pending litigation, our thoughts continue to be with the family and friends of the family,” Burleson ISD Chief Communication Officer Mikala Hill said in a statement.

Burleson is a Fort Worth suburb.

Th lawsuit describes the boy as “on the smaller side for kids his age” and “not yet grown into all of his facial features such as his teeth and ears.” Those features along with his learning disabilities led him to be a “constant source of ridicule” from other children as early as third grade, the lawsuit says.

“(His) response to the bullying was heightened and he could be worked into an emotional state very easily, often being reduced to tears and rendered inconsolable,” the lawsuit says. “The kids who bullied him knew this and that he was a soft target so they exploited his condition, so as to get (a reaction) and even have a breakdown.”

The administrators were aware of these problems because his mother regularly picked up her son from school, according to the lawsuit.

One time, the boy was biking home when other fourth-graders removed a metal peg from his bicycle and threw it at his head, causing a concussion and broken nose, the lawsuit says. Police didn’t investigate the incident due to the children’s ages, and school officials didn’t take action purportedly because it happened off campus.

In fifth grade, the boy was selected in a lottery system to attend STEAM school — a specialized school focused on science, technology, engineering, art and math. It meant an opportunity to leave behind students who bullied him.

“He was very excited,” the lawsuit says.

However, the district revoked his acceptance because the school didn’t offer a class required for his autism. Instead, he would be put in a special education program at the middle school.

The boy was “devastated” and turned “distant and easily agitated” as he thought of returning to school the next year with his bullies, the lawsuit says.

Two weeks after his 11th birthday, the boy took his own life.

His final social media post on the gaming app Roblox stated he was tired of being bullied, according to the lawsuit.

“The school system failed (him),” the lawsuit says. “They failed to listen to his pleas for help, they failed to protect him from constant bullying and harassment, they failed to provide (him) with a safe environment to be educated.”

This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 4:42 PM with the headline "His last social media post was on bullying. Mom’s lawsuit blames Texas school in death."