The parents of a trans teen, who they say was mercilessly bullied by both fellow students and faculty, are suing an Alabama school district following the student’s death by suicide.

As local ABC affiliate WDHN reports, Carmeisha and Cory Williams have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit accusing the Elba City Board of Education and former Elba High School principals Wynn Grimes and Dr. Warren Weeks of violating their child’s rights under Title IX, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans With Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

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According to the lawsuit, the student, identified as S.W., had already endured years of verbal racial harassment from white peers for being mixed race when they came out as gay and requested to be addressed with they/them pronouns during their seventh-grade year (2021–2022). The harassment escalated after they came out, with multiple teachers allegedly refusing to use their name and pronouns and mocking and belittling S.W. along with fellow students.

S.W. began engaging in self-harm behavior and was hospitalized in April 2023 for “serious mental health conditions, including a major depressive disorder and anxiety with suicidal ideation,” resulting from the persistent bullying. When they returned to school, students allegedly mocked S.W.’s mental health struggles, encouraging them to end their own life.

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As WDHN notes, the lawsuit alleges that during their tenures as principals, both Grimes, who was made aware of S.W.’s hospitalization, and Weeks failed to address the consistent harassment and did not provide S.W.’s family with bullying complaint forms as required by Alabama’s Anti-Bullying law. The Williamses contend that the district selectively enforced its own anti-bullying policies for white, non-disabled, straight, and gender-conforming students, but not for non-white, disabled, and LGBTQ+ students.

According to the complaint, Weeks was recruited by Elba City Schools Superintendent Christopher Moseley in 2023 despite being warned that Weeks “had a documented history of verbal and physical violence against students, teachers, and parents” at his previous school. As the Advocate notes, the lawsuit claims that S.W. informed Weeks that they were being bullied when they returned to school on August 7, 2023. The following day, Weeks allegedly “screamed at S.W. in front of approximately 50 students and forcibly removed a hoodie that S.W. wore, revealing self-harm scars.”

“Despite seeing the scars and clear mortification, Weeks kept the hoodie, forcing SW to suffer this exposure for the rest of the school day,” Artur Davis, one of the attorneys representing the Williamses, said in a statement, according to WDHN.

The following day, August 9, 2023, S.W. died by suicide. They were just 14 years old.

“The conduct of school officials reflects more than indifference and rises to the level of intentional discrimination against a marginalized child,” the lawsuit states.

In addition to punitive and compensatory damages, the Williamses are asking the court to “issue permanent injunctive relief requiring comprehensive anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies, mandatory training for staff, and clear protocols for addressing harassment complaints.”

“Our Constitution and our laws are not silent about the obligations to children in public schools: they are to be nurtured and protected, not abandoned to cruelty,” Davis said in a press release. “This lawsuit seeks accountability for a school system’s failure to respect this child’s life.”

“How any responsible school system could put a bully in charge of stopping bullies is beyond me,” Matthew Billips, who is also representing the family, added in the statement, probably referencing Weeks. “I’m grateful there’s a new administration and hopefully they will turn this shameful episode into something that approaches justice for S.W. and their parents.”

Editor’s note: This article mentions suicide. If you need to talk to someone now, call the Trans Lifeline at 1-877-565-8860. It’s staffed by trans people, for trans people. The Trevor Project provides a safe, judgement-free place to talk for LGBTQ youth at 1-866-488-7386. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

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