The parents of
a Huntsville, Ala., teen who killed himself in 2019 after being bullied at
school for being gay are now suing that school district, reports AL.com, a website for
several Alabama newspapers.
Relatives of
Nigel Shelby, who was 14 when he died, hope to prove that the school
is responsible for civil rights violations and Shelby’s death. They say that
Shelby took his life because he was being bullied for being gay and suffering
from depression, and that school officials were aware and did nothing.
“Fourteen-year-old
Nigel Shelby was bullied by his peers for his race and sexual orientation, and
when he sought help from school administrators, was told that his sexuality was
his choice,” a news release from the family and their attorneys says. “School
administrators did not alert Nigel’s parents of his struggles in school so that
he could receive help from a licensed mental health professional. On April 18,
2019, Nigel Shelby died by suicide. Following his death, school administrators
alerted Nigel’s mother to look for a suicide note in his backpack, revealing
that they were aware of his plans to take his own life.”
The Shelby
family is being represented by civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump as well as
co-counsel Jasmine Rand and Huntsville attorney Lynn Sherrod.
Back in 2019,
Shelby’s mother, Camika Shelby, alleged that her son had talked to school administrators about
his sexuality and was dismissed. “After my son passed, I learned that he
had several discussions about homosexuality with school administrators and was
told that being gay was a choice,” she said in a statement released by her
attorneys. “I was never contacted by the school and informed that my son was
struggling with his sexual identity and regularly having discussions with a
school administrator.”
Last month,
the Huntsville City School District released a statement saying it was
anticipating a lawsuit from the family. In the statement school officials said
they usually don’t comment on pending litigation but wanted to make public the
resources they do have at the school. “At the district level, pillar two of the
district’s strategic plan is Whole Student Development. This pillar includes
resources dedicated to supporting the social and emotional needs of students.
These include feeder-pattern social workers, licensed mental health
professionals, and frequent professional development for staff on topics
including culturally responsive instruction; equity and inclusion; and suicide
prevention,” the statement read.
“Consistent
with the district’s Core Values, HHS has a strong Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA)
in place to provide support to LGBTQ+ students, and the district has partnered
with GLSEN and the Anti-Defamation League to support its schools and students,”
it continued.
The family’s
attorneys will discuss more details Tuesday.
If you are a
trans or gender-nonconforming person considering suicide, Trans Lifeline can
be reached at (877) 565-8860. LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger) can reach
the Trevor
Project Lifeline at (866) 488-7386. You can also access chat services
at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or
text START to 678678. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255
can be reached 24 hours a day by people of all ages and identities.
SOURCE: ADVOCATE
How terribly sad. That photo popped up on my feed and I was like... what a beautiful smile! This is tragic. That one so young could become so hopeless. This lawsuit, though... an uphill battle. They will need to present an incredibly damning case of depraved indifference. Perhaps that is the case? Let's hope racism and homophobia don't have a place behind that judge's bench.
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