Wabasha-Kellogg responds to bullying suit; hearing scheduled in February
Photo illustration: court gavel / MGN
(ABC 6 News) – The Wabasha-Kellogg School District filed a response to
Nearly two years ago, ABC 6 News spoke with a Wabasha parent named Angie about an explicit photo of her child that was shared among the student body with few consequences for the bully in question.
In early December, Angie filed a federal lawsuit against the district, alleging that leaders had allowed sexual bullying and harassment to run rampant in the schools.
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On Jan. 7, the Wabasha-Kellogg School District filed a response claiming that the school district was not negligent toward the sexual harassment complaints, and alleging that Angie and her child, then 14 or 15, “may have failed to mitigate any alleged injuries and damages that Plaintiff claim(the child) sustained.”
The filing further admits that “student-on-student misconduct” occurred at school, but claims the Wabasha parent’s detailed timeline of events and accusations “are based on misinformation, incomplete information, rumor, and/or speculation.”
The school district also listed several alleged incidents in which the child may have bullied other students, for which he was allegedly disciplined.
“Defendant further affirmatively states that the District has promptly and appropriately responded to all incidents of alleged student misconduct about which it had knowledge in accordance with the District’s authority and obligations under the law,” the filing reads.
The school district requested that the federal court dismiss the case entirely.
A pretrial conference was scheduled on Zoom audio for 2 p.m. Feb. 19.