A Black middle school student in South Carolina faced incessant bullying from her peers, leading to her attempting suicide, a lawsuit states.
According to WYFF, the family of Kelaia Turner, a former student at Dr. Phinnize J. Fisher Middle School, filed a lawsuit against Greenville County Schools, alleging negligence in response to bullying and harassment.
"Unfortunately, words do hurt. They used to teach us, 'Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.' Words are the one thing that we will carry," Ty Turner, Kelaia's mother, said.
The lawsuit details several incidents where Kelaia, who was 11 and 12 at the time, was allegedly physically assaulted by her peers and called a "roach" and "man."
"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 said.
Things came to a head on March 17, 2023, when Ty said she found her 12-year-old daughter hanging from a belt in her bedroom at home.
"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," Ty said.
The mother said first responders later found a pulse, but Kelaia was in a coma for weeks. The young girl ultimately stayed in the hospital for 101 days, during which two students visited Kelaia, took photos of her, and circulated them on social media, according to the lawsuit.
Kelaia still requires "around-the-clock care" following her hospitalization.
"We're 18 months plus out. Kelaia has no control currently over her body. She's total care, nonverbal, on a trach, on a feeding tube. She requires around the clock care that, for the most part, is administered by her father and I, we've recently gotten the help of a nurse three days a week. It's an absolute mountain," Ty said.
Greenville County Schools said they "disagree" with the allegations made in the lawsuit. Read the district's full statement below.
"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. You can find additional resources pertaining to the reporting and addressing of bullying on the District’s website. 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. Parents are also able to submit a formal complaint for allegations of bullying pursuant to Board Policy and Administrative Rule JCDAG, which provides additional levels of review up to the Superintendent/designee. Parents can also contact a district ombudsman if they are not satisfied with a principal’s response to an allegation of bullying. As is communicated to parents and students, Greenville County Schools prohibits all forms of bullying, discrimination, harassment, or intimidation."
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to raise money for Kelaia's care.
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