MIDLOTHIAN - Suicide is a choice that's hard to understand, especially for those left behind to grieve.
A North Texas family considers themselves fortunate that their 13-year-old didn't succeed in his suicide attempt. But, amid that gratitude is some anger because the family says their child was bullied and they tried to get help from the school district, but said they got none.
Yvette Yzaguirre said it was a response to a post on her son's Facebook that sent him over the edge. He posted, "I hate my life." A fellow student wrote, "Why don't you just go emo and kill yourself?"
"It might not be a direct threat, but when you have someone already suffering from issues that have been going on for three years, one little comment can set you off," she said.
Yzaguirre and her husband David say after the posting, their son, Draven, tried to throw himself out of a moving car.
"He was trying to kick the windows out so he could get out of their car," Mrs. Yzaguirre said.
The Yzaguirres said their son began spiraling downward about three years ago when a popular kid at school started to bully him because Draven stutters and is heavy set. They said they tried to get the Midlothian school district to help since it has a zero bullying policy.The couple showed News 8 letters they wrote to the district. They also said they had meetings at the school.
"He feels let down by us, by me, by the school district, he doesn't tell us anymore," Mr. Yzaguirre said. "He doesn't talk to us any more because he feels I failed him. I didn't protect him."
Midlothian issued a statement saying only one bullying incident was reported in May of 2009 and actions were taken to address the concerns.
"The school environment is safe and controlled according to school policies and procedures," school officials said.
The school also said they believe any issue Draven suffered was spurred from outside the school environment.
The Yzaguirres said they have heard similar responses for three years. But, those at the school said they cannot control what goes on in social media networks.
