‘Pictures were circulated’: Students who bullied an 11-year-old girl they called ‘roach’ into attempting suicide went to the hospital later to picture her unconscious, according to the lawsuit.

A South Carolina teen’s family has sued her school district for negligence after she attempted suicide due to ongoing bullying, causing long-lasting harm.

Kelaia Turner initially reported being bullied by other students at Dr. Phinnize J. Fisher Middle School in Greenville County in August 2021, according to the lawsuit filed on November 12. At the moment, she was eleven years old. However, it appears that some of the school’s teachers encouraged the bullying, which persisted for a year and a half.

According to the lawsuit, Kelaia Turner attempted suicide in March 2023 as a result of the school and nine middle school teaching and administrative staff members engaging in careless, willful, reckless, and wanton behavior.

The lawsuit claims that in [teacher] Olivia Bennett’s class in December 2021, students called Turner a man and a roach. Bennett was charged with participating in the bullying and failing to intervene on behalf of the other students.

According to reports, one student asked, “Where’s the roach?” Bennett allegedly pointed toward Turner.

In an October 2024 Facebook post, Kelaia’s mother, Ty Turner, listed further racist epithets and insults her daughter has encountered from classmates, such as “FatBlackUgly,” “Ugmo,” and “Moustache Face.”

In May 2022, Turner’s classmates tried to make fun of her by playing a racist YouTube video in class. This incident is also detailed in the lawsuit. The class’s teacher, John Teer, permitted the song to be played without addressing the offensiveness of the song, reprimanding the student who performed it, or having a conversation with them.

Additionally, there were reports of physical altercations between Kelaia and other students, in which Kelaia received reprimands while the others received none. The faculty merely asked that the next incident be reported to them after learning about a student persistently pushing Kelaia in an October 2022 incident. As the bullying persisted, [Kelaia’s] garments were hanged, doused with water, and subsequently disposed of in the garbage, according to the lawsuit.

As a direct result of the bullying of five Fischer Middle pupils, 12-year-old Kelaia Turner attempted suicide by hanging on March 17, 2023, marking the culmination of the ongoing torment.

Ty Turner reported to the local NBC station, WYFF, that she spotted her daughter hanging at 11:18 p.m. She had urinated on herself, had blood streaming from her nose, and was chilly to the touch when paramedics arrived. She was gone for eight minutes, but she had given her all to what she was trying to achieve. They were unable to find her heartbeat or pulse. The room was filled with older guys who were crying.

After being resuscitated, Kelaia Turner was hospitalized for 101 days, spending many weeks in a coma. In the end, she suffered severe brain damage. Ty Turner informed WFYY that her daughter currently lacks bodily autonomy. She has a trach, is fed via a tube, needs full care, and is nonverbal. Her father and I are largely responsible for providing the 24-hour care she needs. A nurse who works three days a week was just employed by us.

“It’s an absolute mountain,” she continued.

To exacerbate the situation, some students were allowed to photograph Kelaia while she was unconscious in the days after her hospitalization and 31-day stay in the intensive care unit, with the goal of further making fun of her on social media. The complaint claims that [another student] helped spread rumors regarding [Kelaia’s] injuries after the photos were shared.

Unaware of the images, Kelaia’s mother emailed the school to lodge a formal complaint about the non-enforcement of Fischer Middle’s anti-bullying policies the day after those students shared pictures of her unconscious. She claimed that Kelaia had been reporting bullying incidents since 2021 without any help.

The principals retorted that there is no way to police the school’s zero-tolerance policy for bullying.

Weeks later, Ty Turner found out about the photos.

According to the lawsuit, [Kelaia Turner] attempted suicide by hanging and is currently on full life support with significant brain damage as a direct result of the bullying that has been going on since 2021. She needs attention around-the-clock.

A jury will decide Kelaia’s family’s claim for actual and punitive damages against the school and the nine defendants.

After sharing their story, Ty Turner started a GoFundMe page to help with some of Kelaia’s medical and care expenses. Due to potential shame and attention after the months of bullying, the Turner family had previously chosen to remain anonymous in their case. Already, it has surpassed the $15,000 target.

Law & Crime got in touch with the Turner family’s attorneys and the Greenville County School District. The request for comments was not immediately answered.

Source

Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!