A Black Texas girl was allegedly attacked by a group of white male students from her school after traveling on an overnight field trip. The family of the girl filed a civil lawsuit Monday against the Live Oak Classical School after the 12-year-old had a rope placed around her neck and dragged around in what might have been a racist attack.
The Waco Tribune reports:
An attorney representing the family of a 12-year-old former Live Oak Classical School student who is black and suffered rope burns to her neck on an overnight school trip filed a civil lawsuit Monday against the school and the owner of a Blanco County ranch where the girl suffered the injuries in late April.
Levi McCathern filed the suit against the school and against Lawrence Germer, owner of Germer Ranch, where the student’s sixth-grade class stayed for an end-of-year camping trip.
McCathern previously has said the actions of three other students who are white may have been racially motivated.
In the lawsuit, he cites ongoing bullying of the girl and a lack of response in claiming the school was negligent in how it handled the incident.
A group held a demonstration in downtown Waco near the school last month, calling for racial justice and demanding answers from the school.
The girl’s mother, Sandy Rougely, spoke with the Dallas Morning News and explained the extent of her daughter’s injuries. Photos of the girl’s neck show what appears to be a rope burn mark. It has been reported that Live Oak officials tried to downplay the incident and say it was just a case of rough play.
The $3 million lawsuit seeks damages related to negligence, gross negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Representatives at Live Oak pushed back saying that the girl’s account and the attorney’s lawsuit are built on false grounds.
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Photo: screen cap
