Murray County's school district is dropping its legal effort to recoup some $30,000 in court costs from parents who sued the school after their son committed suicide, according to the Fulton County Daily Report.
The parents, Tina and David Long, unsuccessfully sued the school district, alleging the district was negligent in protecting their 17-year old son, Tyler, from consistent bullying by classmates and that the bullying led him to hang himself in 2009.
The Longs, however, had their lawsuit dismissed and recently the school district, located in Chatsworth, Ga., sought legal recourse to get back money spent defending the case in court.
The parents of Tyler Long, one of five young people featured in the critically acclaimed 2012 documentary "Bully," are being sued by the Murray County school district to recoup some $9,000 in court costs after the Longs' lawsuit against the school system was dismissed, according to a story in the Fulton Daily Report.
Murray County is in north Georgia, near Dalton.
Tina and David Long sued the Murray County Board of Education after their son, Tyler, 17, a student at Murray County High School in Chatsworth, Ga., committed suicide by hanging in 2009. The parents alleged in the lawsuit that school officials did nothing to stop the constant bullying their son endured, as portrayed in the film.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court on Jan. 29, 2010, and notes that Tyler had Asperger's Disorder. The lawsuit was dismissed last year by Judge Harold Murphy and appealed. The appeal was upheld in June.
Lisa Lawson, a 40-year old lesbian who was reporting missing in mid-November and was found deceased Dec. 4, died of an apparent suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a McDonough police report obtained by GA Voice.
Lawson was first reported missing Nov. 19. Her disappearance prompted her girlfriend, Michelle Alexander, to create a media campaign to help find her. The website, www.findlisalawson.com, and an accompanying video on YouTube helped spread the story of Lawson's disappearance.
An expanded search of Lawson's last known whereabouts was conducted on Dec. 4 and her vehicle, a green Chevrolet Suburban, was found in a Wal-Mart parking lot in McDonough, Ga., after investigators determined her last known location using cell tower records.
18
Age of Tyler Clementi when he committed suicide last fall by jumping off the George Washington Bridge after learning that fellow Rutgers University students filmed him having sex with a man and webcast it.
3
Years of a pre-trial intervention program that Molly Wei, 19, accepted when she pleaded not guilty May 6 for her role in the webcast. If she completes the program, charges against her will be dropped.
300
Hours of community service Molly Wei must also complete, in a deal accepted by Clementi’s parents. She must also testify against Clementi’s roommate, Dharun Ravi, who faces 15 counts of invasion of privacy and bias intimidation.
10
The length of the hearing, in minutes.
5
Maximum years in prison under New Jersey law for a count of secretly collecting images of nudity or sexual contact, then distributing them.
A national task force dedicated to suicide prevention among LGBT youth will be part of the new National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. The Alliance, launched by Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in September, is a public-private partnership supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration.
Pamela S. Hyde, administrator of SAMHSA, revealed the plan for an LGBT youth task force in a five-page letter sent last month in response to an inquiry from leaders of the U.S. House’s LGBT Equality Caucus.
The task force will be led by Charles Robbins, head of The Trevor Project, which operates an LGBT youth suicide prevention program nationwide, and Kevin Jennings, the Department of Education’s Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. Jennings, an openly gay appointee, founded the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network.