A family is exploring legal action against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) after their fifth-grade daughter, Messiah Smith, allegedly endured "pervasive bullying" at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary.
KNX News' Karen Adams reports that Messiah's mother, Keyanna Smith, alleges the school administration, particularly Principal Chanelle Thomas, failed to adequately address the reported bullying despite repeated requests by the family.
According to Smith, Messiah was subjected to extreme verbal harassment, physical attacks, and social alienation by male classmates. Messiah herself reportedly suffered emotional distress, stating, "It made me feel like I wasn't human."
Smith alleges that after reporting the bullying many times, Principal Thomas restricted her access to the school campus with a "Disruptive Parent Letter."
Additionally, Smith claims Principal Thomas revoked an opportunity awarded to Messiah, a "culmination speech" in recognition of Messiah's academic achievements.
Smith reports that the speech was then awarded to Messiah's primary bully.
"You know, they really punished her by legitimizing her abuser. They imprinted his words on her and they legitimize his abuse. And so her parting message from her elementary school at the end of her stellar academic journey is this is what happens when you report abuse. This is what happens when you report harassment and to never report harassment," stated Smith.
[iframe https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2553.6432817317464!2d-118.31088942556917!3d34.01184561986445!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x80c2b8027c49f0a7%3A0xa8bd1575c5af4607!2sMartin%20Luther%20King%20Jr%20Elementary%20School!5e1!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1717626622201!5m2!1sen!2sus allowfullscreen="" height="450" loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="border:0" width="600"]The family's attorney asserts this response by the school "stigmatized" Messiah and accuses the school of inaction, jeopardizing student safety. The attorney further argues that the school has a legal obligation, known as "in loco parentis," to ensure student safety and a failure to address bullying constitutes a systemic issue.
"The ultimate villain story," the attorney said. "We have good versus evil. We have a person who was doing everything possible to ensure she was getting good grades and she was going to be the speaker at the graduation. She was going to speak at the graduation and then comes the villain, the bully takes it all away and then ends up being the speaker himself. That is an injustice, that is something that should not occur in our schools."
The family is calling for Principal Thomas' immediate removal.
A Los Angeles Unified spokesperson said in a statement to KNX News, "Los Angeles Unified investigates all reported cases of bullying and takes appropriate action based on our school safety plans. We are unable to share details about student matters because of confidentiality laws. The District remains committed to keeping our students and school communities safe."
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