A South Carolina family has filed a lawsuit, accusing Greenville County Schools of mishandling bullying and harassment complaints involving their daughter, Kelaia Turner.
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Details of South Carolina family’s lawsuit after Kelaia Turner attempted suicide
EVERYBODY reports Kelaia Turner, now 14, is suffering from severe brain damage. Now, her parents have filed a lawsuit against Greenville County Schools, accusing them of ignoring the bullying she faced. The newspaper noted that after more than a year of enduring bullying, Kelaia tried to take her own life. Ty Tuner, her mother, discovered Kelaia, then 12 years old, hanging from her body on March 17, 2023, per WYFF4.
“She was cool to the touch, blood was coming out of her nose and she urinated on herself. She was completely committed to what she was trying to do and she left for eight whole minutes. The medical staff couldn’t find a heartbeat and they couldn’t find hers. There were grown men in the room crying,” Turner said.
As a result, Kelaia had to spend 101 days in the hospital, including 31 days in the ICU. According to her mother’s complaint, while she was in a coma, a classmate visited her, took pictures and shared them with another student. That student then intentionally posted these images online, sparking rumors about Kelaia’s injuries.
In the 24-page lawsuit filed this summer, Kelaia Turner’s family outlines several incidents in which Kelaia reported another student attacked her and called her a man and a cockroach, beginning in 2021. The lawsuit also highlights how her teacher, Olivia Bennett, failed to intervene to stop the bullying and harassment.
“Multiple sclerosis. Bennett was complicit in the bullying and said nothing to the other students to stop it. One student asked, ‘Where is the cockroach?’ and Miss Bennett pointed at Kelaia,” complaint notes.
Kelaia’s mother, Ty, shared that she contacted the school multiple times but never received a response or solution.
“There were no less than seven to nine times when I personally contacted the school and received an email, but half the time they didn’t respond, and if they did, it was irrelevant. of any nutritional source, there is never any one solution,” Ty explains.
Greenville County Schools responded to the allegations
On Wednesday, December 4, Greenville County Schools spokesman Tim Waller expressed the district’s profound sympathies to Kelaia Turner and her family in a statement to PEOPLE. Additionally, Waller disagreed with Kelaia’s parents’ allegations.
“The district is aware of this parent’s allegations and has addressed this parent directly. We disagree with these allegations and conducted a thorough investigation and review of each allegation at the time it was made. While we do not agree with the allegations, our hearts go out to Kelaia Tecora Turner, her mother, and their family. Every school implements anti-bullying strategies and programs for students, including how to recognize bullying and how to report it.”
the New York Post Office said that Waller also mentioned that they are currently working to investigate the complaints. Furthermore, school staff are actively addressing cases of bullying with appropriate measures.
“When a school becomes aware of potential bullying, those concerns are investigated promptly, thoroughly and confidentially. Steps are taken to determine what has occurred and, if any inappropriate behavior has occurred, disciplinary measures will be taken against the offending student and strategies designed to prevent blocking any similar behavior is also implemented. If the alleged conduct may be criminal in nature, law enforcement will be notified.”
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