After parents claim that a student at Bowie High School attempted to commit suicide in front of their daughter in January following months of alleged harassment, they have now filed a lawsuit against the Austin Independent School District, according to court documents obtained by KVUE Friday.
In the documents, the parents claim that the district violated their rights by failing to respond after a male student "fixated" on their female student, allegedly began to sexually harass her and eventually attempted to commit suicide in front of the female student on campus.
The lawsuit said that during the fall of 2016, the male student started to sexually harass the female student.
Among other incidents, the lawsuit claims that on two occasions, the male student got into her car without her permission, despite her protests for him to get out and leave.
The document states that his parents, "concerned about their son's increasingly obsessive behavior," went to the school as early as October 2016 with information regarding his mental health and his alleged harassment of the female student. After that, the lawsuit claims the school did not contact the female student's parents and did not "do anything in regard to the information."
When the parents said the male student allegedly tried to commit suicide in front of her, they said school administrators failed to contact both parents about the incident. This, the lawsuit claims, violates the district's policy as well as the female student's civil rights.
They also claim that administrators "filed an incomplete and inaccurate incident report" with the district's police department.
Now, the parents claim the male student has continued to harass her and, as a result, her grades have dropped and she has had to go to therapy for emotional anguish and anxiety.
In addition to expelling the male student, the lawsuit also asks a judge to order the school district to adopt an anti-bullying and anti-harassment program that is approved by a third party and also provide a school safety coordinator for each campus.
KVUE has reached out to the parent's lawyer as well as the school district. This story will update when they respond.