NEW ORLEANS —
An Orleans Parish mother is taking a charter school operator, Edna Karr High School, the Orleans Parish School Board and people who work at the school to court.
The mother claims they did not do enough to protect her daughter from bullies and allowed bullying escalated into a brawl that was caught on camera and went viral.
The incident happened in March 2018.
“I was enraged. I refused to look at it while I was at the school, but when I got home I saw it online like everyone else did and I was enraged, I was furious,” the mother said.
The mother did not want her face shown, afraid that if she’s seen, her daughter will get taunted again. But she did want to tell the world she’s taking legal action against her daughter’s old school, Edna Karr High.
“I would like to see the schools put something in place to help kids who go through this kind of bullying,” the mother said.
According to this lawsuit filed in Civil District Court on Feb. 28, the mother claims she informed administrators, the school board, Edna Karr and charter school operator Inspire NOLA that her daughter was being harassed and assaulted at school in December 2017.
It goes on to say, school leaders told her they would investigate the issue internally and asked her not to inform police.
According to the lawsuit, the bullying and harassment continued. The mother says students called the victim Christmas Day 2017, telling her daughter that another assault was coming.
In the lawsuit, the mother says she reported the new threat made against her daughter to school leaders and that administrator told her they would speak to the students. The mom claims leaders failed to take precautions.
According to the lawsuit, in March 2018, the victim went into a classroom for her Spanish lessons. When she entered, her daughter was attacked by another girl.
The fight, captured on video, lasted 30 seconds.
A teacher eventually broke up the fight. In the background you can hear the person recording the fight snickering. The mom says her daughter suffered a concussion.
“I was pretty upset about it. I went back and forth. I did all that I could do as a parent to draw attention to the situation before any of that happened. I was basically ignored,” The mother said.
Kenya Rounds, the mother's attorney, says they are suing for mental and physical suffering.
“To show that the assault was planned, and they had no protective measures in place. The kids were even able to video the assault and distribute it. I think it’s even had 500,000 views.” Rounds said.
Rounds also wants schools throughout the area to have stronger policies when it comes to helping children who constantly get picked on.
“Apart from the kids actions, cause you know, they’re kids. Bullying is something that takes place within schools. I think the schools didn’t have the policies or procedures in place, to prohibit such actions. I fault the adults,” Rounds said.
Eyewitness News reached out to Inspire NOLA, Edna Karr and Orleans Parish Schools. The District responded, but said that they cannot comment on ongoing litigation.