A local parent filed suit in U.S. District Court last week against Mount Airy City Schools, alleging their child showed physical evidence of abuse — including an alleged attempt by other students to sodomize the youth with a toothbrush — and was possibly a victim of a pattern of bullying.
Mount Airy City Schools spokesperson Carrie Venable said, “Mount Airy City Schools is aware of the news story regarding alleged bullying within our district from 2022. We take any reports of bullying very seriously and are committed to ensuring a safe and supportive environment for all our students.”
John Doe vs. Mount Airy City Schools is a Title IX suit filed that was filed in federal court that alleges a pattern of abuse and negligence on the part of administrators and field trip chaperones to protect the child.
The court saw fit to protect the identity of the minor child as well as his parent, “Given the nature of the subject matter as well as the potential for further harm that continues to exist, the plaintiff and his mother will be referred to Does.”
“We ask that the community respect the privacy of the individuals involved as we proceed. We remain steadfast in our mission to provide a safe educational environment for all students and will take all necessary steps to uphold this standard,” Venable added.
“Upon learning of the allegation in 2022, we immediately launched a thorough investigation in accordance with our district policies. Our priority is to gather all relevant information and to ensure that every student’s voice is heard,” Venable explained. She later added as the incident took place in Greensboro that law enforcement officials there had investigated the issue. “They did an investigation and dropped the case.
A request for the incident report from the Greensboro Police Department had not been returned before time of press.
She said the district prohibits bullying and harassing behaviors, “We are dedicated to fostering a positive school culture where every student feels safe, respected, and valued. As part of this commitment, we provide ongoing training and resources for our staff and students to recognize, prevent, and address bullying behavior.”
The lawsuit alleges the youth, who was 12 at the time, was the victim of bullying and assault, with multiple allegations across multiple locations and dates listed.
The first such incident occurred in November 2021 but was not reported to the mother until fall of 2022. By that time, Mount Airy Middle School administrators said too much time had passed for them to go back and look at surveillance footage to investigate. However, the complaint states that there are no cameras in restrooms — where the incident took place.
According to the complaint filed last week, the middle school student was on the receiving end of bullying and his mother reportedly spoke of her concerns to the administration at Mount Airy Middle School. Also, the parent was told by administrators on at least one occasion her child had been the victim of a physical altercation, a “nipple twister,” at the school in February 2022.
The mother spoke to a school administrator as well as the supervising teacher for an upcoming field trip to express concerns for her child’s safety. She was assured, the report said, that her child would be supervised and looked after on the trip.
The report went on to say when the child returned home from the trip, the mother ascertained based on his behavior that all was not well.
After observing her child being withdrawn, the next morning she saw a “foot long bruise” on his shoulder and later that day she saw a softball sized scrape on their back “and several smaller abrasions that were oozing or scabbed over,” the complaint said.
A discussion followed and the child described how the injuries were received over the course of multiple attacks spread over multiple days on the field trip, including at least two alleged attempts by the other students to sodomize the victim using an electric toothbrush. The suit alleges on at least one occasion an adult chaperone witnessed the youth being dragged across the floor toward the bathroom and did nothing to stop the assault.
The complaint states that chaperones left the young men in the hotel room alone and with other members of the field trip who were not supposed to be staying in the room which had two beds and three assigned occupants, already a red flag to the mother.
The report said the victim was accosted each of the three nights he stayed in Greensboro and following the trip did not want to report the abuse fearing to be labeled “a snitch.”
That lead to him being “forced to withdraw from school due to fears that his bullying would increase as a result of the incident on the field trip.” He is now homeschooled, which his mother said drastically reduced his opportunities to interact with and learn alongside his peers. He is also attending counseling “to assist with processing this traumatic and embarrassing event.”
The lawsuit said the victim felt betrayed by the individuals who subjected him to abuse “that he often thinks about… and he had dreams about the incident happening again.”
Listed in the complaint is an attorney of record, Chance D. Lynch of Lynch Law, PLLC of Charlotte, for the plaintiffs. A message left for Lynch Tuesday had not been returned.
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