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A mother whose daughter was allegedly bullied for at least four months says Fayette County school officials failed to protect the middle school student, according to a lawsuit filed Friday.
LaFleesha Patton says in the lawsuit, which names Superintendent Stu Silberman and five other Fayette County Public Schools employees as defendants, that she notified school officials in January that her daughter, identified as Jane Doe in the suit, was verbally and physically bullied at Crawford Middle School to the extent that she needed psychiatric care.
According to the lawsuit, students repeatedly assaulted Patton's daughter while on school grounds. Those students also "cyber-bullied" the girl by making comments online that referred to her and Patton in "obscene, vile terms and contained defamatory language."
Patton's lawsuit says she initially notified Crawford principal Joyce Florence, Crawford associate principal Michael Bayless and Crawford administrative manager Terri Stevenson of the abuse. Patton also contacted Mike Ernst, director of middle schools, and Crawford guidance counselor Rosemary Cheek about the incidents, the suit says.
The employees, who are all named in the suit, "refused and continue to refuse to stop the attacks and to protect Jane Doe, and refused to properly punish the students doing the bullying," the lawsuit states.
"I take bullying very seriously and deal with every incident of bullying that is brought to my attention," Silberman said. "In checking with the school about this allegation, I have learned that the administration at Crawford was very diligent and worked closely with the parents of the children involved."
According to the lawsuit which was filed in Fayette Circuit Court, the student developed anxiety attacks and depression and was later admitted for four days into psychiatric care for suicidal thoughts.
J. Dale Golden, the attorney for Patton, said it seems like school children are increasingly engaged in violent behavior, so cases like this one have a lot of impact.
"This is very important for the county to decide what they will and will not tolerate," he said.
Golden said the lawsuit did not name the daughter because she is a minor. He said the family had decided not to send her back to Crawford Middle School.
Patton is seeking damages in excess of $75,000.
