Bullying is much more than kids just being kids.  For Eric Mohat, it was a matter of life and death.  His classmates taunted him unmercifully and school officials did little to stop it.  One day, Eric, 17, had apparently had enough.  He came home from school and shot himself.  Now his parents have filed a lawsuit against the school for failure to stop the bullying that led to their son’s suicide.

William and Janis Mohat filed federal suit on March 27 against Mentor (Ohio) High School, where Eric was a junior at the time of his death.  The Mohats allege his math teacher, Thomas Horvath, and two school officials, Jacqueline A. Hoynes and Joseph Spiccia, did not act effectively to prevent the bullying that was tormenting Eric.  The Mohats are not asking for money but instead they are demanding the school establish and enforce an anti-bullying program to prevent such abusive behaviors in the future.

Eric’s parents describe him as a gentle son who enjoyed music and theater.  His classmates, especially those in Horvath’s math class, bullied him relentlessly, calling him a fag and other inflammatory names.  The Mohats say Horvath, also a sports coach, did little to stop the abuse.

One day two years ago, one of the bullies in Eric’s class suggested Eric go home and shoot himself.  Unfortunately, he did just that, leaving his grieving parents devastated beyond description.

Adding credence to the Mohats’ lawsuit against the school is the shocking number of suicides that took place in Eric’s class in 2007.  Three other classmates committed suicide that same year.  Bullying was a factor in all four deaths.