Texas Teen's Suicide Blamed on 'Wolf Pack' Bullies
Despite celebrity-laden campaigns against bullying, the practice seems to go on unabated. Last week, a Texas high school freshman committed suicide after enduring years of bullying from a group of classmates dubbed the "wolf pack," NBC reports.
Ted "Teddy" Molina was a 16-year-old Flour Bluff High School student in Corpus Christi, Texas. He killed himself with a hunting rifle. Teddy, who is part Korean and part Hispanic, was taunted and received death threats due to his mixed race, his family says.
Representatives from the Flour Bluff School District have denied being aware of a bullying problem in their schools, but some parents seem to disagree.
A mother removed her two children from a junior high school in the district due to bullying last February, KRIS-TV reports. Other parents have come forward with similar stories.
Teddy's mother withdrew her son from school on March 5 at the height of the teen's bullying, said Teddy's sister Misa Molina. Teddy's parents also claimed to have filed over a dozen complaints regarding their son's harassment.
The Molina family's lawyer, Bob Hilliard, stated that he is looking into taking possible legal action against the school district for its inaction.
This wouldn't be the first time a lawsuit based on bullying has been filed. School bullying has been in the news a lot lately. And many states have enacted laws to stop the practice.
Under the Texas Education Code, student bullying and harassment is prohibited. School administrators must also take steps to prevent and deal with physical and emotional school bullying.
The identities of the students in the alleged "wolf pack" responsible for Teddy's bullying have not been released. But the Molina family's attorney has stated that the group was formed by athletes at the school.
It's a tragedy to see such a young life ended so soon by suicide. Hopefully Teddy Molina's family will finally find peace from the "wolf pack" bullies.
Related Resources:
- Teen's Family Holds Anti-Bullying Protests After Boy, 16, 'Commits Suicide After Years of Threats' (Daily Mail)
- Are Bullying Lawsuits on the Rise? (FindLaw's Law & Daily Life)
- Bullying (FindLaw)