Todd Seehus, father of 13-year-old Tristan, had to say goodbye to his son after a stream of bullying led to his wrongful death by suicide. The Seehus family has sought the help of their lawyer in order to sue the Duluth school district for not acting quick enough to help the middle schooler feel safe in his education environment.
Tristan was called a freak and constantly shoved into lockers. This was a result of his perceived sexual orientation. His parents reminisce on the fact that he didn’t conform to traditional stereotypes of masculinity. Unfortunately, cases like this are popping up from St. George, Utah to the East Coast.
The Challenge
When attempting to sue a school district like the one in St. George, the burden of proof is higher. This is because taxpayer money goes into paying the restitution a lawyer gets for the family. When trying to prove that the wrongful death was a result of lack of action, your lawyer needs to get over two obstacles.
There needs to be actual notice for the school district, whether it’s notes to the school or emails exchanged, that the bullying was happening. The bigger challenge is proving that the school was deliberately indifferent in taking action to help your student and prevent the wrongful death.
Prevention
The biggest thing St. George parents can do for their children is to get in contact with the right people. If your child is being bullied, it doesn’t take a lawyer to get them into a better situation.
Contact the school administration in an effort to rectify the bullying. If that doesn’t work, send a complaint to the school district with proof that the harassment is so severe that it deprives your student of educational benefits. They should take action to keep all students under their supervision safe.