Weakley County School Board Faces Lawsuit
Lawsuit alleges discrimination at graduation, segregation into closet during school year, denial of school activities
The Weakley County School Board is now facing a Federal lawsuit for Greenfield School’s actions during the May 2024 graduation ceremony, alleged segregation, isolation, and humiliation of a student by placing them in a storage closet and denial of school activities.
The lawsuit, filed by The Salonus Firm, PLC in Jackson, represents former Greenfield student Kennedy Shea Lee, and states that the case involves “extreme prejudice and insecurity towards persons with disabilities.”
The lawsuit further alleges that “Greenfield High treats them differently, recalling a dark time of our nation’s past.”
Lee, who suffers from a disability called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTs), along with a functional neurological disorder affects Lee’s heart, blood pressure, and temperature regulation. This is a disability as defined by the ADA.
Lee’s documented 504 plan stated that reasonable accommodations included sitting near a teacher or friends if she had an episode, modification/shortening of assignments if episodes were too frequent, extended time to complete assignments and calling a nurse to attend each time Lee goes down.
According to the lawsuit, Lee’s 504 plan “did not provide for segregation, isolation, and/or removal of her from her regular education classroom,” however the lawsuit alleges that instead of abiding by Lee’s 504 plan, Greenfield School “went to humiliating extremes” by placing Lee and another student in a former storage closet for their entire Junior year with no access to their non-disabled peers, extracurricular activities, special classes, eating lunch in the cafeteria, the library, and limited to no access to teacher instruction.
The lawsuit further alleges that “Weakley County Schools claimed the storage closet was necessary to avoid Lee’s POTs becoming “too much of a disruption to other students.”
Lee switched to homebound status during her senior year after claiming suffering prejudice and indignity by the school where Weakley County School provided a teacher twice a week at home for one and a half hour sessions.
During Lee’s homebound status the lawsuit alleges that Weakley County Schools would inform her of activities and programs, but Lee claims in the lawsuit that she was forgotten and that the school made little to no effort to communicate.
During the graduation ceremony Lee was forced to sit in the bleacher with other classmates after a “disability-based barrier was created by Weakley County Schools” according to the lawsuit.
Lee had even provided a letter from her physician, addressed to the school, showing she was medically cleared, however the lawsuit alleges that Greenfield Principal Jamie Doster said that Lee might fall out requiring assistance and that would “be embarrassing for the school.”
The lawsuit also alleges that Weakley County Schools created social media posts after graduation of the 2024 graduating class with Lee and two other disabled students absent and not even mentioned.
The lawsuit claims 5 counts to support including discrimination in violation of the ADA Act of 1990 with amendments 2009, discrimination in violation of section 504 of the rehabilitation act, disability-based bullying and harassment, section 1983 and the fourteenth amendment’s equal protection clause and the fourteenth amendment’s substantive due process and section 1983.
Lee is seeking relief to show judgement that Weakley County Schools violated the ADA, Section 504, and the Constitution. Lee is seeking relief that includes training of persons about the harm of segregation, the integration mandate, and the rights to reasonable accommodation.
Lee is also seeking compensatory damages for physiological injury, mental injury, pain and anguish, loss of dignity and reputational and consequential damages.
Lee also seeks attorney’s fees and costs and is demanding a jury.
Director of Schools Jeff Cupples has been reached out to for response. More information regarding the case will be provided as it is received.
To view the lawsuit in it’s entirety please visit dresdenenterprise.com or martinpost.news.
