The school system, a number of officials, including the superintendent, are being sued by the parents of a former Mohawk High School student.
According to the lawsuit, the student was punished for speaking up after being expelled for filming a hazing incident two years prior. It is said that the incident happened during football camp on school campus.
The lawsuit states that the act in question took place in August of 2022. A freshman boy who was trying out for the high school football team was the victim.
Al Lindsay, the victim’s attorney, stated that, “He heard ahead of time that there was a practice of the seniors, upperclassmen, being mean to ninth graders. As it turns out, he had no idea.”
According to the lawsuit, upperclassmen coerced the youngster into participating in inappropriate and degrading sexual activities.
“Our client was taken into a storage room where he was beaten with Crocs, which are plastic shoes,” Lindsay stated. “And then he was forced to perform and engage in certain obscene acts with other males, including other ninth-grade football players.”
The issue resulted in the expulsion of two seniors. Joshua Lamancusa, the district attorney for Lawrence County, is said to have informed the family and the whole school board during a special meeting that there was no hazing involved in the incident following an inquiry. The victim’s mother said that’s when things started to shift for her.
Not long after the mother of the victim began to inquire, the youngster was accused of being unruly.
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“The district attorney’s office prosecuted him and the school started expulsion proceedings. He was taken to juvenile court by the district attorney’s office where he was acquitted,” Lindsay stated.
The boy was expelled from the school. According to Lindsay, there was an easy explanation.
“The only possible reason they were prosecuting this kid is because his mother wouldn’t shut up,” he stated.
Even though the lawsuit claims that more people were involved than just the two seniors, no one else was disciplined.
“A lot of this was to protect the football program,” Lindsay stated.
