LAS VEGAS, Nevada — A family has filed a lawsuit against the Clark County School District two years after a video capturing an unprovoked attack on a Las Vegas High School student went viral.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the minor student and her mother, is aimed at holding the school district accountable for what the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada called a brutal attack on a student at Las Vegas High School.
The accused attacker hit the victim 30 times, continuing even after she lost consciousness. The lawsuit said the victim did nothing to provoke the attack. According to the video, a teacher is seen and heard telling the attacker to stop.
The lawsuit lists the Clark County School District, Superintendent Dr. Jesus Jara, principals Ronnie Guerzon and Raymond Ortiz, and teacher Brooke Rawlins as defendants. It claimed that inadequate training and the policies in place by CCSD caused the victim to be physically abused, violating her 14th Amendment rights.
The victim had previously reported threatening statements made toward her by the accused attacker, but the lawsuit alleges that school authorities did nothing to protect her. The lawsuit claimed that CCSD does not properly train its employees to prevent physical abuse of students.
The lawsuit also revealed that the accused attacker had a history of violence and had been removed from the school for disciplinary problems for an extended period of time, suggesting that the defendants knowingly allowed the accused attacker to be placed back into a classroom with the victim and other students.
Langford, one of the attorneys, emphasized the right of every student to a safe and respectful learning environment as per Nevada law, and highlighted the duty of school authorities to ensure that no form of bullying or cyber-bullying is tolerated within the system of public education in the state.
The lawsuit asks for the victim and her mother to be awarded general and special damages in excess of $15,000, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, costs of court, delay damages, and any other relief the court may award. The Clark County School District has a policy of not commenting on pending litigation.