Youth
Mom Sues School, Says Teacher Threatened to Kill Gay Son
An Oregon mother is suing her son's school district, claiming a teacher threatened him with violence.
January 29 2016 8:28 AM EST
January 29 2016 8:29 AM EST
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An Oregon mother is suing her son's school district, claiming a teacher threatened him with violence.
An Oregon school district faces a federal lawsuit from a mom who says her son's teacher threatened him violently.
The teen's mother claims her son, who is gay and disabled, has been targeted numerous times for "harassment and discrimination."
In the lawsuit, teacher Brett Trosclair is singled out for allegedly threatening to kill the teen during a school assembly, according to The Oregonian. Court papers claim the student told a friend that he thought another boy was cute when Trosclair turned around, told them to be quiet, and threatened to throw them down the stairs.
After the two boys complained to school officials, Trosclair was placed on administrative leave.
"Plaintiff suffered emotional distress, embarrassment, humiliation, anxiety, stress, fear, and ultimately, loss of a public education," the lawsuit reads. "As a result of Hillsboro School District's deliberate indifference to the sex-based discrimination and hostile education environment, Plaintiff's existing anxiety was exacerbated, as well as his fear for his personal safety."
"Defendants had an unofficial policy, custom or practice of condoning harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation. Defendants' conduct toward Plaintiff was extreme and outrageous and constitutes an extraordinary transgression of the bounds of socially tolerable conduct."
According to the Hillsboro Tribune, Shawna Dicintio's lawsuit claims the school district violated the First and Fourth Amendments along with Title IX, a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity.
Several students have rallied to Trosclair's defense, saying he was only joking with the teenagers. They have started a social media campaign using the Twitter hashtag #TeamTrosclair with many of the students accusing the gay teen of being the bully.