BLANCO COUNTY, Texas – A lawsuit was filed and a criminal investigation is underway claiming three boys put a rope around the neck of a 12-year-old girl and jerked her to the ground.
The alleged incident happened on a school trip to a Blanco County ranch Thursday. The lawsuit involves three boys and a girl from Live Oak Classical School in Waco. The boys are identified as white and the girl as black. The lawsuit is filed against the school and the owner of the Germer Ranch.
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Levi McCathern, the attorney for the girl's family, told KXAN that there was a history of bullying leading up to the field trip. He said the school failed to properly address it and did not notify the parents about the injury at camp.
"Given the nature of these wounds, for the school to not even investigate that, not even look into whether there's a racial motivation or what's going on is completely irresponsible," McCathern said.
McCathern said when the girl came home from the trip, her mother thought she was wearing a necklace. When she asked chaperones about it, they said a doctor looked at her neck, put Vaseline on it and gave the girl ibuprofen.
The attorney for the school, David Deaconson, told KXAN that the incident is not a case of bullying but rather an "unfortunate accident." Deaconson said the school followed protocol based on the severity of the situation, but is now re-evaluating its policy.
The Blanco County Sheriff's Office has also launched a criminal investigation.
Read more about this on KXAN.