Kelaia Turner lawsuit against Greenville County Schools for failing to put an end to bullying that led to then 12 year old girl hanging herself, surviving but now left with brain damage and wheelchair as school district denies allegations against it.
Fellow students at a South Carolina school who allegedly drove a then 12 year old girl to attempt suicide after non stop bullying are reported to have snuck in the girl’s hospital room while recovering, only to take images of the convalescing girl and share images of her on social media.
The incident amongst many others were revealed in a federal lawsuit filed by Kelaia Turner‘s parents over the summer, claiming Greenville County Schools was negligent in responding to bullying and harassment claims with respect to their now-14-year-old daughter, WYFF reported.
12 year old black girl victim of ongoing bullying her school failed to stop
The pre-teen was allegedly physically and verbally assaulted by peers who branded her ‘roach’ and ‘moustache face’ at the Dr. Phinnize J Fisher Middle School in Greenville County, her parents claim in a 24-page federal lawsuit against school district officials who failed to put a stop to the school bullying.
The victim’s mom, Ty Turner says the bullying began when Kelaia started wearing her natural hair to school, only for it to escalate over the years.
Instead of putting an end to the bullying, Ty Turner alleges in the suit that educators joined in her daughter’s ongoing torture.
The bullying eventually became so bad that Kelaia was found hanging from a belt in her bedroom at home, and was dead for eight minutes before paramedics could revive her.
The then 12 year old was in a coma for weeks, and wound up staying in the hospital for 101 days. It was during this period when the alleged bullies snuck in and took photos of her.
Kelaia then suffered severe brain damage, and was left with no control over her body – forced to rely on a tracheostomy tube to breathe along with a feeding tube.
Kelaia Turner lawsuit alleges 12 year old black girl ongoing bullying
The federal lawsuit claims Kelaia started experiencing bullying in August 2021 when her classmates started calling her names and saying she looked ‘like a man.’
At one point, even her teacher, Olivia Bennett, allegedly got in on the act, the suit alleges.
‘Ms. Bennett was complicit in the bullying and said nothing to the other students to stop it,’ the suit alleges.
‘One student asked, “Where’s the roach?” and Ms. Bennett pointed to [Kelaia].’
Turner then emailed the teacher, as well as the principal of the middle school, to complain about Bennett’s actions, noting that ‘children committed suicide from this behavior in the past,’ according to the lawsuit.
The next day, it said, the principal acknowledged her complaint and said they were ‘working tirelessly to repair whatever is damaged.’
In the aftermath, both Turner and Kelaia’s father met with the teacher to address the incident and discussed the need for the student leading the bullying to be separated from their daughter.
But when the student found out that Kelaia told her parents, he allegedly ‘cussed out’ the preteen girl on January 26, 2022.
He was never disciplined, the lawsuit alleges.
The suit alleges that the bullying continued through 2022 ‘with no actions taken by the defendants,’ listing other incidents and reports to school officials Turner made – including a fight between her daughter and another student in March.
She claimed Kelaia was suspended in the aftermath and ‘the student who caused the fight was not.’
But there was more to come.
On May 23, 2022, one of Kelaia’s classmates played a song on YouTube called The Black People Song, which teacher John Teer allegedly allowed to be played without any comments about its offensiveness or any reprimands to or discussions with the student who played it, according to the suit.
12 year old black girl failed by her school
Turner then complained to the principal and Metris Cain, another teacher, to complain about the incident – and were once again told that an investigation would be conducted.
But in October, Turner said another student ‘had been pushing [Kelaia] several times over the past month’.
She claimed that the offending student was never punished, and the only reaction school officials was to tell Kelaia to notify school authorities if it happened again.
But it did happen again.
In one instance, the suit alleges Kelaia’s clothes ‘had water poured on them and were then thrown into the trash’.
By March 11, 2023, Kelaia confided in a friend about her thoughts of committing suicide – only to be found five days later hanging from a belt in her bedroom at home.
According to Ty, the 12-year-old was dead for eight minutes before paramedics managed to revive her.
Kelaia remained in a coma for weeks, staying in the hospital for 101 days and suffered severe brain damage.
The family now says nine individual teachers and faculty members failed in their duties to ‘provide a culture of safety and an environment free from assault.’
The suit also cites violations of both the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title IX protections against gender discrimination.
The family is now seeking actual and punitive damages to cover medical bills, psychiatric expenses, special education, lost wages, life care expenses, disability care, injury to her psyche and emotional state and loss of enjoyment of life.
An online fundraiser also notes that the family has been struggling with limited mobility, no wheelchair van and mounting financial stress.
‘We are fighting for Kelaia’s healing and well-being everyday, believing that she has a purpose and that her story can inspire others,’ the GoFundMe says.
‘We are asking for your support to help her not only survive but thrive – through donations for a wheelchair-accessible van, medical needs and home care.’
School district officials have vehemently denied all allegations of ignorance and negligence according to the dailymail.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Greenville County Schools said: ‘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. 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.
‘When a school is aware of possible bullying, those concerns are investigated promptly, thoroughly, and confidentially.
‘Steps are taken to determine what occurred, and if any inappropriate conduct occurred, then disciplinary measures are provided to the offending student and strategies designed to prevent any similar conduct are implemented as well. If the alleged conduct is possibly criminal in nature, law enforcement is notified.’
