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Washington Family Seeks $20M From School District Over Gay Son’s Bullying
Washington Family Seeks $20M From School District Over Gay Son’s Bullying
The family says the boy suffered nonstop teasing and multiple acts of violence as students filmed the incidents for social media clout.
In Washington state, a family is seeking $20 million from a school district after their gay son suffered repeated bullying and violence.
According to the family, the district was a breeding ground for “hate crimes” that spread online and flourished. Video clips on social media show the student being jumped by girls who kick and punch him on the ground.
Nicole and Doug Stanford, the 13-year-old’s parents, say the sights of their son’s pain are “burned into their brains.”
“It’s gonna take a while to bounce back from this,” Nicole Stanford told Seattle NBC affiliate KING.
It is the third attack of this type this school year. As in all three encounters, the attackers shouted antigay slurs at the helpless boy.
“It’s terrible. It’s our one job to keep him safe, and the only place we can’t keep him safe is at school,” Doug Stanford said.
As the teen’s parents recount, it all started when fellow students pushed their son off the school bus on the first day of school because of his sexual orientation.
Harassment was continuous and even planned out in advance, according to the parents.
KING reports that students allegedly informed other students about upcoming beatings so that they could record the videos and share them.
While the pair took their son out of school in May, those perpetrating the violence remain at the school.
“I yelled, I cried, I did everything I could except get down on my knees and beg for something to be done, and nothing was,” Nicole Stanford said. The school had the perpetrators sign a non-contact agreement twice, though harassment persisted.
The family’s attorney called the attacks “ambushes.”
According to their claim, Everett School District allowed the attacks to continue and failed to provide the student with safe learning conditions.
The district has 60 days to investigate the allegations.
