Boy, 11, kills himself after months of bullying and embarrassment from his own teacher who called him stupid: lawsuit
An 11-year-old Florida boy took his own life following relentless bullying by his school teacher who repeatedly called him “stupid,” a disturbing new lawsuit alleges.Louis Johnson, 11, shot himself “after enduring months of bullying and public embarrassment” from fifth-grade teacher Donna White, according to the lawsuit filed by his parents against the Marion County School Board on April 21.White, a former teacher at Legacy Elementary School in Ocala, called Johnson “stupid” and said he “didn’t know anything,” and also recruited other students to bully him, according to the wrongful death lawsuit documents, as seen by WCBJ.“I don’t know why you’re talking because you don’t even know anything.You don’t know nothing in this class.
Isn’t that right, kids?” White told Johnson, the lawsuit alleged.Johnson’s parents repeatedly reported White’s actions to the school and the school board, but they did nothing, according to the lawsuit.White’s actions caused Johnson to suffer from depression and anxiety, culminating in him attempting to take his own life on April 27, 2023, as per the court documents.Johnson died two days later in the hospital from his injuries, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.Johnson’s parents handed out suicide prevention fliers in the school following their son’s death, laying out more allegations against White.The lawsuit names the teacher as Donna White, but the flyer produced by Johnson’s parents, as well as school district records, list her as Dawn White.White started working in the school district in 2009, where she taught at Legacy Elementary, moving to other schools before returning to Legacy for a second spell as a fourth-grade teacher between 2017 and 2021 and a third and final spell between 2022 and 2023, the Ocala Star Banner reported at the time.The family moved to Ocala, an hour outside of Orlando, from Virginia shortly before Johnson’s death.Their son had no behavioral proble...