A principal allegedly humiliated a student who self-harmed at school. Now the family is suing.

Trigger Warning

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/08/a-principal-allegedly-humiliated-a-student-who-self-harmed-at-school-now-the-family-is-suing/

John Russell (8 Aug 2025)

The parents of a trans teen, who they say was mercilessly bullied by both fellow students and faculty, are suing an Alabama school district following the student's death by suicide.

According to the lawsuit, the student, identified as S.W., had already endured years of verbal racial harassment from white peers for being mixed race when they came out as gay and requested to be addressed with they/them pronouns during their seventh-grade year (2021–2022). The harassment escalated after they came out, with multiple teachers allegedly refusing to use their name and pronouns and mocking and belittling S.W. along with fellow students.

S.W. began engaging in self-harm behavior and was hospitalized in April 2023 for "serious mental health conditions, including a major depressive disorder and anxiety with suicidal ideation," resulting from the persistent bullying.

... the lawsuit claims that S.W. informed Weeks that they were being bullied when they returned to school on August 7, 2023. The following day, Weeks allegedly "screamed at S.W. in front of approximately 50 students and forcibly removed a hoodie that S.W. wore, revealing self-harm scars."

"Despite seeing the scars and clear mortification, Weeks kept the hoodie, forcing SW to suffer this exposure for the rest of the school day," Artur Davis, one of the attorneys representing the Williamses, said in a statement, according to WDHN.

The following day, August 9, 2023, S.W. died by suicide. They were just 14 years old.

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  * The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): Offers support and
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  * The Jed Foundation: Provides mental health resources and suicide prevention
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    Visit: https://jedfoundation.org/