Aberdeen teen sues schools over failure to stop bullying
SEATTLE -- A 19-year-old graduate from Aberdeen High School is suing the school district there, saying officials did nothing to keep him from being bullied.
Russell Dickerson III says he was subject to repeated bullying because he's black and because of his perceived sexual orientation. His classmates called him names like "nappy ho, faggot, shake and bake, the 'N' word," he said.
"I didn't expect that experiences when I walked through the doors my first day of middle school," Dickerson said. "It was like a prison sentence that carried on into high school."
He says that in one of the incidents three students pushed him down and smashed an egg on his head. He says that in 2007 students in the district created a website mocking him and posting threatening and racist comments.
"Unlike the typical reasons of not wanting to go to school -- homework, tests, due dates, things like that, I found myself dreading school because I did not know how it was going to go on through the next day," Dickerson said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, which is representing Dickerson, says the district did nothing to stop the harassment even after a judge issued a no-contact order between Dickerson and one of his harassers.
"Any steps they did take weren't effective, because he endured this harrassment the entire time he was in school," said ACLU lawyer Sarah Dunne. "Russell felt isolated at school. He felt discouraged from using his locker."
Dickerson's father agrees.
"I turned it over to the school district and their care to give him a quality education, and they failed," said Russell Dickerson, Jr.
The Aberdeen School District has not received a copy of the lawsuit, Superintendent Dr. Thomas A. Opstad said in a statement, so it could not comment on the specifics of the complaint. However, Opstad said "the District adamantly denies that the District has allowed any student, including Russell, to be harassed without prompt corrective action being taken." (Read full statement here.)
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Tacoma states the district violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and state anti-discrimination law.
Dickerson hopes the suit will prevent anyone else from having to endure similar treatment.
"It's really disrupting in your life, but our modern society demands a quality education. And if you give that up, you're just giving up on yourself," he said.
Russell Dickerson III says he was subject to repeated bullying because he's black and because of his perceived sexual orientation. His classmates called him names like "nappy ho, faggot, shake and bake, the 'N' word," he said.
"I didn't expect that experiences when I walked through the doors my first day of middle school," Dickerson said. "It was like a prison sentence that carried on into high school."
He says that in one of the incidents three students pushed him down and smashed an egg on his head. He says that in 2007 students in the district created a website mocking him and posting threatening and racist comments.
"Unlike the typical reasons of not wanting to go to school -- homework, tests, due dates, things like that, I found myself dreading school because I did not know how it was going to go on through the next day," Dickerson said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, which is representing Dickerson, says the district did nothing to stop the harassment even after a judge issued a no-contact order between Dickerson and one of his harassers.
"Any steps they did take weren't effective, because he endured this harrassment the entire time he was in school," said ACLU lawyer Sarah Dunne. "Russell felt isolated at school. He felt discouraged from using his locker."
Dickerson's father agrees.
"I turned it over to the school district and their care to give him a quality education, and they failed," said Russell Dickerson, Jr.
The Aberdeen School District has not received a copy of the lawsuit, Superintendent Dr. Thomas A. Opstad said in a statement, so it could not comment on the specifics of the complaint. However, Opstad said "the District adamantly denies that the District has allowed any student, including Russell, to be harassed without prompt corrective action being taken." (Read full statement here.)
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Tacoma states the district violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and state anti-discrimination law.
Dickerson hopes the suit will prevent anyone else from having to endure similar treatment.
"It's really disrupting in your life, but our modern society demands a quality education. And if you give that up, you're just giving up on yourself," he said.
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