San Diego Teen Committed Suicide Over Bullying And Viral Bathroom Video

A 14-year-old San Diego student committed suicide last year after a classmate filmed him allegedly masturbating in a school bathroom before spreading the footage around, the victim's family has revealed. The victim's parents have filed a $1 million claim against the San Diego Unified School District, claiming that a teacher, an administrator and possibly other employees at University City High School were aware of the bullying and failed to stop it.

Matthew Burdette, who was on the water polo and wrestling teams and was a Boy Scout studying for his Eagle rank, killed himself Nov. 29 while the family was at their cabin in Crestline for Thanksgiving, Los Angeles Times reported. His suicide note stated that he could no longer "handle school" and had "no friends," according to the claim.

Two weeks before his death, Matthew was in a bathroom stall when a fellow classmate peered over and recorded him allegedly touching himself. The unidentified classmate later posted the video to Snapchat, Vine and other social networking sites, claiming the teen was masturbating in the footage. "It went viral," his aunt, Laura Burdette Mechak, told News 10. "It went beyond his school. It went to other schools in California. Kids in the neighborhood who didn't go to Matthew's school had heard about it and seen the video that was taken of him."

"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.

It was only after their son's death that the family learned of the video from other students and its drastic effect on Matthew, the claim said, stating that his parents, Timothy and Barbara Burdette, will be "forced to bear the death of their son for the rest of their lives."

"After learning about the video, the parents returned to University City High School to talk to officials. The school had launched an investigation - which the parents say means they knew about the video - but they would not tell the Burdettes what had happened to the boy accused of filming their son," UK MailOnline reported. "The family then went to the San Diego Police Department, where they learned that the boy who took the video confessed and had been arrested, but the District Attorney failed to answer their questions."

Although it wasn't confirmed by the San Diego County district attorney's office whether the boy who filmed the video will be facing charges under the state's anti-bullying law, a spokesman for the district attorney said a hearing has been set for July 23 in juvenile court on the matter.

Meanwhile, school officials issued a statement Monday, indicating support for the Burdette family but declining further comment. "At San Diego Unified, the safety and well-being of our students is a top priority," the statement said. "The district also adheres to the privacy and confidentiality laws and regulations related to students, families and ongoing investigations."

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