The parents of a 10-year-old boy who hanged himself in May after being “severely bullied” are suing their son's school, accusing officials of covering up complaints and punishing victims who spoke out about the issue. are.
The father and mother of Sammy Tuesch, who committed suicide at his parents' home in Greenfield, Indiana, filed a wrongful death lawsuit last week against the local school system, accusing the school of ignoring repeated complaints. son's suffering It will be in the hands of other students.
Sammy's classmates called him “Dahmer” and said the fourth-grader looked like serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, according to the complaint.
“When Sammy complained to the teacher, her only response was that, in her opinion, Sammy bore some resemblance to Jeffrey Dahmer,” the complaint states.
When Sammy asked for help, the school even threatened to punish him, his father, Sam Thuch, told the Post.
“Someone hit Sammy with an iPad, broke his glasses and cut his eye. But Sammy was kicked off the bus,” his father said. “At that point, he stopped talking to us about it. His main concern was getting in trouble at school, so he didn't fight back.”
Teachers and staff at Weston Elementary School in Greenfield turned a blind eye to months of verbal and physical abuse suffered by a child who was teased for his glasses and teeth and even encouraged to hang himself, according to the complaint. He claims that he was.
“Sammy has said this to me a million times: 'Dad, they don't listen to me at school. They don't listen to me,'” Toish said. Ta.
Sammy lived in stable housing with his three sisters, Tschuch said. The father said he and his wife, Nikki, begged the school to protect their son, but despite promises from staff that the boys would be “taken care of,” there are no official records of their complaints. Nor has it been heard from other parents who have made similar complaints to the couple. Go to school about bullying.
“Other parents have messaged me saying their children are being bullied. They have filed complaints too, but in the two years that Sammy was there, no one reported bullying. It never happened. It's just crazy,” Toish said.
Mr Toish believes Sammy's death was the product of a vast culture of unchecked bullying, with teachers and staff too scared to stand up to bullies and parents left in the dark. He said he is doing so.
“As parents, we don't have transparency. We don't know what's going on with a lot of things in schools right now. We have to change this.” Toish said.
Teusch believes that an awakened, toothless enforcement standard has school officials afraid to punish cruel students and enforce so-called “zero tolerance” bullying policies.
In the months since her son's death, Toish has been speaking out against bullying and sharing his son's story. He and his wife have started the Sammy's Tree Foundation for bullying victims and are consulting on the production of a future film based on Sammy's story.
But he said people could be punished for even talking about violence or self-harm. According to the CDC, bullying is the second leading cause of death for children ages 10 to 14.
“TikTok and Facebook banned me just for saying the word 'suicide'. We have to recognize the problem and not just put it aside,” the father said.
The Toishes filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Hancock County Circuit Court against the Greenfield Central Community School Corporation and the Greenfield Central Community School Corporation Board of Trustees.
If you live in New York City and are struggling with suicidal thoughts or experiencing a mental health crisis, call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. You can. If you live outside the five boroughs, dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or visit SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
