Legal Battle Escalates as Spartanburg County School District 2 Faces Federal Lawsuits
Harassment Allegations Bring Legal Trouble
In a new development, Spartanburg County School District 2 is now facing legal action in federal court. The lawsuits have been filed by the same plaintiffs who individually sued the district in state court over allegations of their children being subjected to harassment. These two new lawsuits are the latest in a series of court cases the school district is contending with, bringing the total to four, two in state court and two in federal court.
The cornerstone of these lawsuits is the alleged inappropriate behaviour against two second-grade students during the 2021-2022 academic year at Shoally Creek Elementary School. The plaintiffs report that their children were repeatedly subjected to sexually inappropriate behavior by at least four other students.
The Defendants
The first two lawsuits named only the school district as a defendant, however, this fresh set of lawsuits has named four additional defendants. Three of the defendants were staff members at Shoally Creek Elementary School at the time the alleged incidents took place, while the fourth was associated with the school district overseeing elementary and middle school education.
The attorney representing the plaintiffs, Tyler Rody, expressed that the lawsuits are aimed at safeguarding the constitutional rights of the students at school, and preventing such incidents from occurring in the future. He specifically mentioned that students have the right to be free from peer-to-peer harassment, and from deliberate indifference to such harassment by school officials and employees.
Claims Against the School District
The lawsuits also accuse the district’s policies and practices of promoting a “district-wide tolerance of peer-to-peer bullying and harassment, particularly when the victim is a male.” Furthermore, Rody suggested that being boys might have led the district to downplay the incidents, hence adding an element of discrimination to the whole issue.
It’s worth noting that the lawsuits are seeking monetary redress, although Rody did not specify an amount. The cases might proceed to trial as early as this fall.
Internal Disaccord
These series of lawsuits and associated media coverage have caused internal strife within the Spartanburg School District 2 school board. Board member Matthew Schubeck called for the resignation of the district’s superintendent, Lance Radford, accusing him of withholding information about the lawsuits from the board. However, this move was met with opposition, as school board chairman Jason Seay issued a statement indicating that the whole board supported Radford.
These unfolding events pose a major challenge to Spartanburg School District 2. As the legal proceedings continue, it is hoped that justice will be served and adequate remedies will be taken to prevent any future occurrence of such alleged incidents.
