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Carrier Mills-Stonefort school district is target of lawsuit

A lawsuit filed in federal court Monday alleges that a former Carrier Mills-Stonefort student was harassed and sexually abused, but the school district did nothing about it.

The suit, filed by attorney Nicole Gorovsky of Clayton, Missouri, names the school district along with Superintendent Bryce Jerrell and Carrier-Mills Stonefort Elementary School Principal Geoff Absher as defendants.

It alleges that during the male student's seventh- and eighth-grade years, from 2018 through 2019, he repeatedly was harassed by some of his peers, who questioned his sexual orientation.

The suit also alleges that when the student joined the middle school basketball team, the harassment escalated to the point that he was the target of physical sexual assault three times.

The suit alleges that the student's mother and stepfather met with Absher, who also is the basketball team coach, and Jerrell, but that no action was taken by the administrators.

The family's attorney says the student is now being home-schooled.

On Wednesday, Jerrell said he cannot comment on the lawsuit; nor will he discuss individual students. He said, however, that all allegations of harassment, bullying and other inappropriate behavior are taken seriously by the Carrier Mills-Stonefort school district.

The district investigates all such claims when they occur, he added.

"The Carrier Mills-Stonefort School District takes allegations of bullying and harassment very seriously," Jerrell said in a statement.

"The school district strives to provide a safe learning environment free from harassment for all of our learners. All allegations of bullying and harassment are investigated by administration to determine their validity, and any necessary punishment is handled thoroughly, fairly and in a timely manner based on the facts and circumstances of each case.

"Unfortunately, we cannot comment on any specific case or allegation due to confidentiality protections afforded students under both state and federal law. It is also the policy of the school district to not comment on threatened or filed litigation."

The suit is in federal court because it falls under federal Title IX guidelines, Gorovsky said.

Though Title IX is usually associated with gender equality for school sports teams, Gorovsky said in recent years, judges nationwide have determined that incidents of sexual harassment restrict a student's access to a proper learning environment and fall under the purview of Title IX.

The suit notes that at the time of filing, the district's website did not include a statement of its Title IX policy.

Gorovsky said while a school's Title IX policy is not required to be posted on a website, it must be posted somewhere students, parents and staff can readily view it.

"Often, if a school doesn't include its Title IX policy on its website, it can be a red flag," she said. "It can be an indicator a district doesn't take the matter seriously."

Jerrell said the district's Title IX policy is readily available in school handbooks and includes detailed procedures to be taken if a student or parent believes a Title IX claim should be filed.

He also said the school recently began to revamp its website and is in the process of moving all district policies and documents to the new website. The policy, along with both school handbooks, is visible on the school's website.