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A family from South Carolina has filed a lawsuit, accusing Greenville County Schools of allegedly mishandling bullying and harassment claims involving their daughter, Kelaia Turner.
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 faced. The outlet notes that after enduring more than a year of bullying, Kelaia tried to take her own life. Ty Tuner, her mom, discovered Kelaia, 12 years old at the time, 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 had fully committed to what it was that she was attempting to do, and she was gone for eight whole minutes. 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, with 31 of those days in the ICU. While she was in a coma, a classmate allegedly visited her, took photos, and shared them with another student, according to the complaint filed by her mother. That student then purportedly posted the images online, fueling rumors about Kelaia’s injuries.
In the 24-page lawsuit filed this summer, Kelaia Turner’s family outlines several incidents where Kelaia reported another student physically attacking her and calling her a man and a roach, which started 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, shared that she contacted the school multiple times but never got a response or resolution.
“There was no less than seven to nine times that I, myself personally, reached out to the school, and I had the emails, and half the time they didn’t respond back, and if they did, it wasn’t with anything of any sustenance, there was never any resolution,” Ty explained.
On Wednesday, December 4, Greenville County Schools spokesman Tim Waller expressed the district’s deep sympathy for 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. 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.”
The New York Post states that Waller also mentioned that they are currently working to investigate the claims. Furthermore, Waller said the school staff actively addresses bullying cases with the proper measures.
“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.”
