The parents of a transgender teen who died by suicide after persistent bullying in school have sued a school district in Alabama.
Carmeisha and Cory Williams filed suit Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama against the Elba City Board of Education and two past principals of Elba High School, Wynn Grimes and Warren Weeks. The Williamses are represented by Artur Davis at HKM Employment Attorneys and Matthew Billips, Constance Cooper, and Ben Stark at Barrett and Farahany.
Their child, S.W., came out as gay and gender-neutral in seventh grade, according to the suit. They requested to be called Shane and use they/them pronouns. S.W. had been verbally harassed by white students since elementary school for being mixed-race, but “following S.W.’s disclosure of a transgender identity in seventh grade, harassment and ridicule from students only intensified,” the suit says. “Teachers refused to use S.W.’s preferred name or preferred pronouns, despite an absence of school policies precluding them from doing so.”
Both students and teachers mocked S.W. for their naming requests. The teen “was further bullied and mocked for assuming traditionally male appearance in terms of manner of clothing and hairstyle,” the suit says.
From April 4 to April 18, 2023, S.W. was hospitalized for mental health treatment related to suicidal ideation caused by bullying by classmates and teachers. Carmeisha Williams informed Grimes of S.W.’s mental health status and asked him to take action, but he “made a conscious decision not to remedy the harassment,” the suit says. Grimes failed to provide the family with bullying reporting forms, as required by Alabama law, or even tell them such forms are available, according to the suit.
When S.W. returned to school, “in a stunning display of cruelty, Students mocked S.W.’s mental health status, calling them ‘crazy’ and telling them they ‘should try better next time’ to kill themselves,” the suit says. “At one point, when S.W. became ill and vomited from anti-anxiety medication, other students viciously accused S.W. of being pregnant.”
In May 2023, the Williams family tried to transfer S.W. to Coffee County Schools, but the Elba district refused to allow the transfer.
Weeks became principal of Elba High School June 3, 2023. “Superintendent [Christopher] Moseley specifically recruited Weeks for this position despite being warned by guidance counselor Buffy Lusk that Weeks had a documented history of verbal and physical violence against students, teachers, and parents at Goshen High School,” the suit says. Lusk had been a source of support for S.W., but she decided to resign when Weeks was hired.
When S.W. returned to school August 7, 2023, they told Weeks “they were being bullied based on race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and mental health status,” according to the filing. But Weeks, like his predecessor, did not provide S.W. with a bullying complaint form, the suit says.
The next day, Weeks confronted S.W. in front of about 50 other students as the lunch period was beginning. Weeks forcibly removed S.W.’s hoodie, revealing that the teen was wearing only a small tank top underneath and exposing the outline of their breasts and their self-harm scars. S.W. had to continue classes in only the tank top all day.
“On August 9, 2023, S.W. died by suicide, leaving behind a note that referenced the persistent bullying and harassment they had endured at school, specifically mentioning the students their parents had complained about,” the suit says. S.W. was 14 years old.
The suit accuses the school district of violating Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, both laws that prohibit discrimination in federally funded programs, and two other federal laws, the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. It accuses all defendants of violating the constitutional guarantee of equal protection. It also accuses Weeks of violating the constitutional guarantee of substantive due process as well as committing battery and “extreme and outrageous conduct.”
The suit seeks a jury trial, punitive and compensatory damages, and for the court to “issue permanent injunctive relief requiring comprehensive anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies, mandatory training for staff, and clear protocols for addressing harassment complaints.”
“Our Constitution and our laws are not silent about the obligations to children in public schools: they are to be nurtured and protected, not abandoned to cruelty,” Davis said in a press release. “This lawsuit seeks accountability for a school system’s failure to respect this child’s life.”
“How any responsible school system could put a bully in charge of stopping bullies is beyond me,” Billips added. “They might as well put inmates in charge of the prison. I’m grateful there’s a new administration and hopefully they will turn this shameful episode into something that approaches justice for S.W. and their parents.”
If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.
This article originally appeared on Advocate: Parents of bullied trans teen who died by suicide sue Alabama school district
