A South Carolina family has filed a lawsuit accusing Greenville County Schools of mishandling bullying and harassment involving their daughter, Kelaiah Turner.
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PEOPLE reports Kelaia Turner, now 14, is experiencing severe brain damage. Now her parents have filed a lawsuit against Greenville County Schools, accusing them of ignoring the bullying she suffered. The outlet notes that after enduring more than a year of bullying, Kelaia tried to take her own life. Ty Tuner, her mother, discovered Kelaia, then 12 years old, hanging from a belt in her on March 17, 2023, per WYFF4.
“She was cool to the touch, blood was coming out of her nose and she had already urinated on herself. She was totally committed to whatever it was she was trying to do, and she was gone for eight whole minutes. The paramedics couldn’t find a pulse, and they couldn’t find her heartbeat. There were grown men in the room crying,” Turner said.
As a result, Kelaia ended up spending 101 days in the hospital, including 31 days in intensive care. While she was in a coma, a classmate allegedly visited her, took pictures and shared them with another student, according to the complaint filed by her mother. That student then allegedly posted the photos online, fueling rumors of Kelaia’s injuries.
In the 24-page lawsuit filed this summer, Kelaia Turner’s family details several incidents in which Kelaia reported that another student physically attacked her and called her a man and a roach, starting in 2021. The lawsuit also highlights how her teacher, Olivia Bennett, failed to intervene to stop the bullying and harassment.
“Ms. Bennett was complicit in the bullying and said nothing to the other students to stop it. One student asked, ‘Where’s the roach?’ and Ms. Bennett pointed to Kelaia,” the complaint notes.
Kelaia’s mother, Ty, said she contacted the school several times but never received a response or resolution.
“There were no less than seven to nine times that I, myself personally, contacted the school, and I had the emails, and half the time they didn’t get back, and if they did, it wasn’t with anything of any substance, there was never any solution,” Ty explained.
Greenville County School Responds to Allegations
On Wednesday, Dec. 4, Greenville County Schools spokesman Tim Waller expressed the district’s deepest sympathies to Kelaia Turner and her family in a statement to PEOPLE. Additionally, Waller disagreed with the allegations made by Kelaia’s parents.
“The district is aware of the allegations made by this parent and has addressed them directly with the parent. We disagree with these allegations and have conducted a thorough investigation and review of each allegation at the time they were made. Although we disagree with allegations, our hearts go out to Kelaia Tecora Turner, her mother, and their family.Each school implements anti-bullying strategies and programs for students, including how to recognize bullying and how to report it it.”
The New York Post states that Waller also mentioned that they are currently working on investigating the claims. Furthermore, the school’s staff works actively with cases of bullying with appropriate measures.
“When a school is aware of possible bullying, these issues are investigated quickly, thoroughly and confidentially. Steps are taken to determine what happened, and if any inappropriate behavior occurred, disciplinary action is given to the offending student and strategies designed to prevent similar behavior are implemented Also, if the alleged behavior is possibly criminal in nature, law enforcement authorities are notified.”
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