Chicago Student Commits Suicide After Being Bullied About His Vax Status

The 15-year-old was the target of a false rumor that he was unvaccinated.

QUICK FACTS:
  • The family of a Chicago-area student who ended his own life in January following bullying about his vaccination status is suing the Latin School of Chicago
  • The family of the deceased, Nate Bronstein, alleges that the administration of the college prep school committed “willful failure” to stop the incessant bullying, according to the Chicago Tribune report.
  • In addition to the school and several of its employees, the parents of the alleged bullies are named as defendants in the suit.
  • The teenager’s father found him hanging from a noose tied to a shower in the family’s home.
DETAILS OF THE STUDENT’S BULLYING:
  • One student, whose parents are named in the suit, allegedly began a rumor that Nate Bronstein was unvaccinated, which was not true.
  • The 10th-grader was vaccinated but despite refutes, claims of bullying, and parental intervention, Nate was bullied on a regular basis for his alleged vaccination status.
  • Nate’s parents, Robert and Rosellene Bronstein, reached out to the other student’s family about the harassment. But it only worsened with Nate being told by a teacher in class that he was going “nowhere in life,” according to the suit.
  • Nate’s mother contacted the school dozens of times, making 30 contacts in October and November of last year, along, but the administration reportedly did nothing.
  • The teen was also cyberbullied on Snapchat, where another student urged him to kill himself in mid-December according to the suit
BACKGROUND:
  • The Latin School of Chicago charges more than $40,000 annually in tuition every year.
  • The school has dismissed the allegations against it as “unfounded” while vowing to “vigorously defend” itself in court.