Lawsuit filed challenging Mohawk student’s expulsion

PITTSBURGH, Ohio (WKBN) – A civil rights lawsuit was filed in federal court against a Lawrence County school district alleging that a student was wrongfully expelled.

Parents of a student, identified as S.S., filed the lawsuit in connection to allegations of hazing within the school’s football team in August 2022. The case was filed Monday in U.S. Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania naming several school officials and staff.

The lawsuit claims that S.S. was expelled as retaliation for a video recording of the Aug. 17 incident which brought it to light and that his parents were “victim shamed” at a school board meeting when they complained.

An investigation by the Lawrence County District Attorney’s Office ended with three students being implicated in the alleged hazing.

“The conduct was limited to a small number of individual players and no adults had preexisting knowledge of any hazing,” Lawrence County District Attorney Joshua Lamacusa said at the time.

The complaint, which was not accessible in the court record but provided, in part, by the plaintiffs, alleges that S.S. was singled out among the 9th graders, who were the victims of the hazing, and expelled while other students were not. It also alleges that the administration and coaching staff were not disciplined.

“It was clear that S.S. was suspended because of the activity of R.R. (named as a parent) online and at school board meetings condemning the school district, the school board members, administrators and coaches’ indifference as to what occurred to S.S. and other freshmen boys on August 17, 2022,” the complaint read.

S.S. was also charged with disorderly conduct, but the charges were dismissed in March 2023, according to the plaintiffs. S.S.’s parents asked the school board to reconsider the expulsion after the charges were dismissed, but they say the Board denied their request.

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