Alamo Heights student was a victim of bullying before committing suicide, family says

David Molak (left) was an Alamo Heights sophomore, and since October had been the target of bullying at the high school, his brother, Cliff Molak, told mySA.com in a phone interview on Thursday. David Molak (left) was an Alamo Heights sophomore, and since October had been the target of bullying at the high school, his brother, Cliff Molak, told mySA.com in a phone interview on Thursday. Photo: Provided By Molak Family Photo: Provided By Molak Family Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close Alamo Heights student was a victim of bullying before committing suicide, family says 1 / 29 Back to Gallery

A San Antonio family and the Alamo Heights community are grieving the loss of their 16-year-old son, younger brother and classmate who committed suicide as the result of suffering prolonged bullying, his family said.

David Molak was a sophomore, an Eagle Scout, avid Spurs fan, fitness enthusiast, and, since October, had been the target of bullying at Alamo Heights High School, his brother Cliff Molak told mySA.com in a phone interview on Thursday.

Cliff Molak, 24, authored a now-viral Facebook post pulling on the heartstrings of thousands of San Antonians and others across the country as he announced the death of his youngest brother and urged people to reevaluate the treatment of others.

“What happened to my beloved brother was a tragedy,” he wrote. “A tragedy set into motion by a boy whom I will not further empower by naming.”

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AHISD Superintendent Kevin Brown said he is devastated by what he calls the district's "worst nightmare."

"Right now, we don't know all the facts of the case and we're really trying to help our students through the grieving process, we're working on healing" he said in a phone interview with mySA.com on Thursday. "We will be looking at the facts as they become available to us and we will take very strong and appropriate action."

According to an SAPD report obtained by mySA.com, David Molak was found dead in his backyard before dawn Monday. The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death a suicide.

The report, which is heavily redacted, includes a statement given to police by an unidentified friend or relative of David Molak that he had attempted suicide twice before.

Another statement given to police at the time indicated he was being bullied on social media over his physical appearance, the report said.

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Cliff Molak described how bullying has transformed into a social media-fueled problem in the Facebook post.

“In today’s age, bullies don’t push you into lockers, they don’t tell their victims to meet them behind the school’s dumpster after class, they cower behind user names and fake profiles from miles away constantly berating and abusing good, innocent people,” the post said, adding that that's exactly how the final night of David Molak’s life played out.

The Molak brothers were spending Sunday night together, hours before the “pure spirit” of the youngest of three was quieted when a series of text messages became the final straw in his battle against his tormentors and he decided to end his life, he said.

A set of six to 10 unknown numbers added David Molak to a group text in which he began receiving comments berating him on his physical appearance, Cliff Molak recalled.

“My first response to him was ‘These kids suck, that’s really the best insult they can come up with?’ but I didn’t get the response I wanted. I thought he would laugh but he just stared off into distance and you could see his pain,” Cliff Molak said in an interview. “He just felt that people hated him.”

Cliff Molak spoke of a social hierarchy at Alamo Heights High School — one he said his brother did not exactly hold a top spot on — which is why his tormentors found his relationship with a girl he described as the school’s “queen bee” upsetting, he believes.

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“These people were bashing him for no reason,” Cliff Molak said. “He did not do anything to them besides having an attractive girlfriend.”

Cliff Molak said the treatment his little brother was handed at school was the exact opposite of what he yearned for.

He was just a pure-spirited guy,” Cliff Molak said. “But, they crushed his spirit and took away his motivation to do anything.”

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At the brunt of his brother's situation, Cliff Molak said his parents recently decided to transfer his younger brother from Alamo Heights to San Antonio Christian School in an effort to alleviate the problems. He was a student at the school from Dec. 18 to Nov. 16, but it was all too much to bear. And, on the eve of his return to the private school, David Molak took his own life.

“He just couldn’t handle the idea of going to a new school while still being bullied by people at his old school, they just sucked his spirit,” Cliff Molak said.

Alamo Heights ISD is a well-regarded, award-winning school district with a strong academic record. It has long been considered the most affluent school district in Bexar County, based on property values, though an Express-News profile noted in 2014 that the stereotype was outdated, with its student body less than 55 percent Anglo and with one in four students economically disadvantaged under the state’s poverty definitions.

The district went through a self-improvement process in recent years that involved a great deal of parent input to produce multiple goals and “a handful of principles that include closing the achievement gap, engaging students and tackling social and emotional problems in their community,” according to the profile. It quoted Brown saying the district had listened to suggestions from parents whose children were struggling with drug addiction. The district’s hiring of a wellness coordinator had “saved lives,” he said.

David Molak was already planning his life after college by following his siblings’ path to Texas A&M University and eventually starting his own family, his brother said. A life already set in motion toward a path of success, but halted by tragedy is what pains Alamo Heights High School principal Dr. Cordell Jones.

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“Personally I’m devastated. I’m struggling too,” he said in an announcement issued to students and parents of AHHS. “(I’m) shedding some tears as I think about him not growing up to be the wonderful man I envision him being.”

Patty Perales, spokeswoman for the district, said counselors are on hand at the school and will be at David Molak's funeral offering support for his peers.

In the collective grief, the Molaks are working to ensure something is learned from their loss.

“The main message I want to get across to as many people as I can is this all comes down to character – to end bullying, you’ve got to start at the ground level,” Cliff Molak explained. “Parents and the school system need to teach their kids about the realities of bullying and character, it’s the fundamental way to end all sorts of bullying and discrimination.”

mmendoza@mysa.com

Twitter: @MaddySkye