Family of bullied Utah girl who died by suicide files claim

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The household of a Black fifth grader in Utah who died by suicide final yr plans to file a $14 million lawsuit towards her faculty, arguing that an insufficient response to stories of her being bullied over her race and disabilities led to her demise by suicide.

Attorneys representing Brittany Tichenor-Cox on Wednesday stated they might search damages for the 2021 demise of her daughter, Isabella “Izzy” Tichenor. In a discover of declare, they stated the varsity had violated state and federal legal guidelines, together with people who require colleges guarantee equal therapy, present instructional alternative and shield college students experiencing homelessness.

Notices of declare are required earlier than folks can sue authorities entities and the household’s declare stated that the lawsuit will search $14 million in damages. The discover of declare from Tichenor-Cox names Foxboro Elementary Faculty in North Salt Lake Metropolis as a defendant, in addition to its director and principal. It additionally names as defendants the Davis County Faculty District, faculty board and superintendent. They’ve 60 days to reply earlier than the household can file a lawsuit primarily based on the declare.

The college district didn’t instantly reply to request for remark.

Tichenor’s demise in November 2021 sparked large outcry and a groundswell of anger over youth suicide, bullying and the therapy of kids with autism. In Utah, a predominantly white state the place incidents of racism in colleges often make headlines, it prompted state legislators to cross a brand new regulation requiring districts to trace reported bullying and racism in colleges.

The discover of declare recounts how Tichenor, who was autistic and the one Black scholar in her class, was bullied by college students who stated she smelled, made enjoyable of her pores and skin coloration, eyebrows and used racist slurs towards her. It gives a timeline of Tichenor’s mother and father repeatedly alerting the varsity of bullying within the months main as much as their daughter’s demise and alleges directors didn’t take motion to cease it.

“Because of this unchecked bullying and the varsity’s general ‘deliberate indifference’ to minority college students, Izzy failed almost all her lessons. On the time of her demise, she may barely learn or do math on a first-grade degree,” it says.

The Davis Faculty District teaches roughly 73,000 college students in Salt Lake Metropolis’s north suburbs. Solely about 1% are Black. It was reprimanded final yr by the U.S. Division of Justice for failing to deal with widespread racial discrimination and compelled to as a part of a settlement settlement change its insurance policies, provide extra coaching and set up a brand new division to deal with complaints.

The district defended its actions final yr after Tichenor’s demise, arguing it had responded to Tichenor’s household appropriately and “labored extensively” with them over their complaints.

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Brady McCombs contributed reporting from Salt Lake Metropolis.