COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The parents of an 11-year-old Ohio girl who killed herself allege in a federal lawsuit against her school district that she was bullied for years because of her appearance and gender and that school officials didn’t do enough to address it.
Bethany Thompson’s parents also allege a Triad Local School District principal who learned the girl had talked about killing herself failed to notify her parents about those comments before her death in 2016. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and changes in how the district trains employees and students about issues such as bullying and discrimination.
Superintendent Vickie Hoffman tells The Columbus Dispatch the rural district roughly 35 miles (56 kilometers) northwest of Columbus meets state requirements about bullying and works hard to train employees and students about such topics.