Kelaia Turner was just 12 years old when she was relentlessly bullied at school, leading to a suicide attempt that left her brain damaged and requiring round-the-clock care. Her mother, Ty Turner, is now filing a lawsuit against the school district and several teachers, alleging they failed to protect Kelaia and allowed the bullying to continue unchecked.
Anyone who needs help can call the national suicide and crisis helpline on 988. Kelaia Turner, then 12, faced merciless bullying from five classmates, who called her 'roach,' and 'a man' and physically attacked her, the suit alleges. Rather than stopping the bullies, Bennett, 26, was allegedly 'complicit,' pointing at the abused student as her classmates jeered.
In 2023, the tormented girl tried to kill herself — a failed attempt that left her with brain damage and requiring round-the-clock care. Her devastated mom, Ty Turner, and other family members are suing the school district, Bennet, and seven other educators for failing to answer their frantic calls for help. 'They used to teach us, 'Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me',' the mom told WYF44. 'Unfortunately, words do hurt.' Seeing suicide as her only way out, Kelaia Turner hanged herself at home in March 2023, but was left with brain damage Her glamorous teacher Olivia Grace Bennett even joined in with the bullies, a lawsuit claims Read More The devastated families who lost kids to suicide in 2024: America's dire year for school bullying The school denies the allegations and is fighting the case. A spokesman for Greenville County Schools told DailyMail.com that teachers addressed all bullying at the school. Bennett, of Spartanburg County, still works at the school, but did not answer our request for comment. Kelaia, now 14, was a promising student who enjoyed learning the piano and playing at recitals. She endured more than a year of physical and verbal abuse at the hands of classmates at the school of some 1,000 students, the suit says. The lawsuit, filed at the US District Court for South Carolina last summer, says the taunting began in 2021, when Kelaia began wearing her natural braided hair to school. Students called her 'roach' and other insults. Her teacher, Bennett, a self-described 'movie nerd and Disney fanatic,' allegedly joined in with the bullies. Court papers describe a December 17, 2021, incident when 'fellow students were calling her a man and roach in Olivia Bennett's class.' South Carolina schoolgirl Kelaia Turner was 12 when the bullying started Now her mom Ty Turner seeks justice from a school she says failed to stop her daughter's bullying-related suicide attempt, which left her with brain damage Olivia Grace Bennett, 26, describes herself as a 'movie nerd and Disney fanatic' 'Ms. Bennett was complicit in the bullying and said nothing to the other students to stop it,' the filings adds. 'One student asked,'Where's the roach?', and Ms. Bennett pointed to' Kelaia, the suit alleges. Tensions escalated in 2022 when Kelaia got into a fight with another student, and educators decided to suspend her but not the bully, the complaint claims. The tormentors went on to pour water on Kelaia's clothes and then threw them in the trash, the lawsuit alleges. Seeing suicide as her only way out, Kelaia attempted to take her own life at home in March 2023. She was dead for eight minutes before paramedics could revive her. Ty has described the agonizing moment she discovered her daughter's limp body. 'She was cool to the touch, blood was coming out of her nose,' she said. 'She had fully committed to what it was that she was attempting to do, and she was gone for eight whole minutes.' Kelaia was left in a coma for weeks and had suffered severe brain damage that's left her incapacitated. While Kelaia was comatose, one of the bullies in April 2023 made their way inside the ICU and snapped photos of the intubated girl, according to the filing. They posted the pictures on social media and spread rumors online about her injuries, adds the 24-page document. The girl's parents say they repeatedly complained about the bullying to school officials. Ty alerted them repeatedly by email, phone and in person visits, but says they failed to act. They were 'grossly negligent and reckless' of Kelaia's well-being, says the suit. Ty says accuses the district of failing her daughter and allowing the bullying to go unrestrained for a year and a half. The family seeks a jury trial and damages from the district and faculty members. Kelaia's teacher, Olivia Bennett, was 'complicit' in the bullying, court papers allege Dr. Phinnize J. Fisher Middle School in Greenville, South Carolina, has some 1,000 students On her school webpage, Bennett says she wants to prepare her students for the future Read More Schoolgirl, 16, kills herself after cruel bullies taunted her over her weight and glasses The money will cover her medical bills, psychiatric expenses, special education, parents' lost wages while taking care of her, life care expenses, disability care, and other costs. The school says it has a tough anti-bullying policy and that it will fight the case. We 'investigated and addressed each of the reported incidents in accordance with policy and law,' spokesman Tim Waller told DailyMail.com. 'No parent concerns or reports of bullying were ignored, and all were directly addressed with the student's mother.' He added that 'while we do not agree with the allegations, our hearts go out to Kelaia Tecora Turner, her mother, and their family.' Doctors have told Ty that her daughter will never be able to speak or move again. But the mom, a devout Christian, is hopeful of divine intervention. An online fundraiser has netted more than $141,000 to help the struggling family care for her at home. 'So much has grown from opening up about an instance no parent wishes to experience,' Ty posted recently. 'We are beyond GRATEFUL for your support!' Ty has set up an anti-bullying organization in Kelaia's honor, called Keeping Accountability, Uniting Students, Educating. On the Gofundme.com page, donors have posted about their own experiences with school bullying. Some two dozen US kids who take their own lives each year after classroom bullying, according to data from the United Educators Association. Those scary numbers come amid a youth mental health crisis driven in part by peer pressure and round-the-clock social media. Kelaia was a promising student who enjoyed playing the piano at public recitals The 14-year-old is back at home now, but her family must provide round-the-clock care The US Department of Education warns that about a quarter of students are bullied regularly. The Megan Meier Foundation, a Missouri-based nonprofit, says kids who've been bullied or cyber-bullied are twice as likely to try to end their lives as others. Still, teachers and police officers who've investigated cases of bullying say it's hard to address. Parents and victims frequently request action against offenders — but often the reported behavior does not meet the criteria for sanctions or prosecution. Some experts also question the link between bullying and suicide. Brenda Carrillo, director of student services at Santa Clara Unified School District, in California, says it's a 'complex issue.' 'The idea of conflating suicide and bullying is a dangerous idea,' says Carrillo. Parents of bullied school kids increasingly launch wrongful deaths lawsuits against schools and teachers for failing to act. They often do this after police end their probes without charging any alleged bullies, but the lawsuits have a patchy record of success. An Arizona judge last summer kicked out a complaint against Chandler Unified School District, which had been brought by one of the parents of a student who died by suicide in 2022. The suit alleged the freshman was bullied and harassed, but that the school did not do enough to stop it. The district denied the allegations
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