A jury ordered a private school of Texas to pay damages of $68,000 to one of its Black students who had rope burns around her neck after she returned from a school trip. The Black girl’s family was shocked to see the burns.
Waco, Live Oak Classical School of Texas, was sued by the girl’s family back in 2016. According to the girl, three of her White classmates dragged her to the ground with a rope around her neck. The school took the defense that the incident was an accident. However, the lawyer of the family argued that it was a case of bullying and requested damages of $5.3 million.
Sandy Rougely, the girl’s mother, noticed the burns around her daughter’s neck after the school trip to Johnson City, Texas. She said it was terrible to see the mark and looked as if someone tried to rip off her daughter’s neck and has stitched it back.
As per the lawsuit, K.P. (the name by which the girl is identified in the documents in court) faced bullying from his classmates before the trip. She was standing near a swing when she felt a rope around her neck.
The girl’s race stopped the school from notifying her family about the incident. Had it been a white girl, the family would have been informed immediately. This stand was taken by the family’s lawyer, Levi G. McCathern II. However, this notion was denied by David N. Deaconson, the lawyer of the school. He said that the school is at fault for not informing the family and not having a chaperone at the swing.
The damages to be paid by the school include $55,000 for mental and physical pain, $10,000 for disfigurement and $3,000 for medical expenses. The lawyers were satisfied with the verdict of the jury.
Source: Ebony, The Guardian
