|
The mother of a deceased 13-year-old middle school student has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Tehachapi Unified School District after federal authorities concluded school officials didn't adequately respond to the gay teen's complaints of attacks and harassment.
Left in Alabama/FlickrThe death of Seth Walsh, a middle school student who committed suicide, sparked a renewed focus on bullying in schools.
The lawsuit, filed last week in Kern County, accuses school district Superintendent Richard Swanson,Jacobsen Middle School Principal Susan Ortega and several teachers of violating Seth Walsh's federal civil rights.
Left in Alabama/FlickrThe death of Seth Walsh, a middle school student who committed suicide, sparked a renewed focus on bullying in schools.In September, Walsh, an eighth-grader at Jacobsen, hanged himself moments after being taunted and attacked by classmates. The suit argues that Walsh's death resulted from continual public taunting and assaults from classmates that were ignored by school officials.
Walsh's story sparked outrage and a national dialogue about the harassment of gay and lesbian students in public schools.
Wendy Walsh, Seth's mother, told the Bakersfield Californianrecently that she wanted accountability from the school district. The complaint refers to a suicide note reportedly written by Seth Walsh to his mother, which stated:
I love you. Thank you for having me. It's been a pleasure. I know this will bring much pain. But I will hopefully be in a better place than this (expletive)hole. Please, put my body in burial and visit my used body. And make sure to make the school feel like (expletive) for bringing you this sorrow. This life was a pleasure, mostly having you guys to bring me through the pain. Hopefully I become the universe.
The lawsuit comes days after federal officials found the district violated federal civil rights laws for failing to investigate the student's bullying complaints. In late June, federal authorities sent a letter to Swanson, informing him of the results of the investigation, which included interviews with Seth Walsh's family, friends, district staff and administrators, and about 75 classmates.
As a result of a settlement with the U.S. Justice and Education departments, the Tehachapi district hasagreed to survey all its schools and enact new policies and strategies to stamp out gender- and sexuality-based harassment. The Tehachapi school district has not commented on the lawsuit.
