Lawsuit Claims Mississippi School District Failed To Stop Student From Being Bullied
A Mississippi school district is being sued by parents who allege school staff failed to stop their son from being bullied and harassed.
Bullying is a serious concern in schools. One out of every five students experiences bullying at some time in their adolescents. These statistics alone are disturbing, but what is worse is the rate at which schools have reportedly done nothing to deter these occurrences. It’s happened before, and it appears to have happened again. A Mississippi school district is now facing a lawsuit that claims school officials allowed a student to be bullied and assaulted for months, without interfering.
According to reports from The Associated Press, the Pass Christian Mississippi school district is being sued by the parents of a 15-year-old boy for undermining and ignoring the bullying and harassment from his fellow soccer teammates. The student suffered from a skin-altering disease, and so was picked on by his peers. What’s more, not only did school officials fail to react, but they also are accused of abetting the horrific behavior.
The unnamed Mississippi school district student was diagnosed with Darier disease. This skin condition produces wart-like marks that can flare up on the skin. It can also be painful and irritating. During the 2020-2021 school year, the boy played on his school’s soccer team, where teammates were accused of making fun of the boy for his uncontrollable disease. In the suit, it’s alleged that his peers would often rub ointments or bleach all over his apparel, and drag his clothing through the mud.
The bullying never let up, and matters culminated to a head during the team’s soccer camp in June of 2021. Attending camp at Jones College, teammates were said to have stripped the boy nude, continuing on with their torture by pouring scalding hot liquids on his face. After that, they allegedly forced canned sausages down his throat. Videos from these Mississippi school district students’ assaults were shared on social media.
Officials from the Mississippi school district remain adamant that they acted swiftly to these claims of bullying. District superintendent, Carla Evers, asserts that the principal and athletic coordinator at the school conducted a thorough investigation. She claims that those involved in the attack were disciplined according to district policy.
Still, the lawsuit alleges that the high school’s assistant principal, Jedediah “Jed” Mooney, knew about this behavior for months and did nothing to stop it. Additionally, the parents of the student are claiming in the suit that Mooney at times would disparage their son himself. Making these claims against him more suspicious, Mooney is no longer listed as an employee of the Mississippi school district. When the Press questioned the district about his status, district officials failed to answer back.
Because of his harassment, the student’s parents had no other choice but to remove him from the Mississippi school district. Whether school officials are guilty or not of failing this child, the bigger picture of this case is just how important it is for families to talk to their children about the treatment of others. Now that social media is becoming one of the easiest more prevalent ways for kids to act out hateful rhetoric, the situation is more startling than ever.
