MARION COUNTY, Fla. – Parents of an elementary school student who killed himself over two years ago are now suing the Marion County School Board, according to court records obtained by News 6.
The lawsuit says that the student attended Legacy Elementary School, and the parents allege that he had been bullied by his teacher, identified as Donna Marie White.
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“Ms. White constantly, consistently and relentlessly publicly humiliated (the student) in front of his peers, calling him ‘stupid’ and ridiculing him in front of his classmates on several occasions over the span of months,” the lawsuit reads.
In addition, the lawsuit accuses White of recruiting other students into making fun of the boy, reportedly asking these students whether they agreed that the boy was “stupid” and “didn’t know anything.”
Per the lawsuit, both parents complained to the school about the bullying — “to no avail.”
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“(The student) suffered such mental distress that it manifested itself into physical distress, including thoughts of suicide, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, crying, nightmares, fear, anguish and embarrassment,” the lawsuit continues.
As a result of the bullying, the student ultimately killed himself on April 27, 2023, the parents argue.
News 6 also obtained an investigation report showing that school officials began looking into White’s behavior following the student’s suicide.
According to investigators, students in her class reported that White would “get mad” and call out certain students when they got poor grades.
“Multiple students said White would get mad at them if they did not know the answer to her questions during class participation,” the investigative report states. “Multiple students reported White would comment about students’ grades in class.”
After an interview with then-Superintendent Ann Hembrook, investigators said they learned that the 5th grader’s parents had shown up at the campus days after his suicide to distribute suicide prevention fliers with White’s name on them. The parents were asked to move off campus.
“Investigator asked Hembrook if (the principal) was aware of the alleged bullying by White, and Hembrook stated, ‘No, she wasn’t...’” the report adds. “Hembrook said she went to a private room with White because White was ‘very distraught’ and ‘very loud.’”
According to the report, Hembrook told investigators that White had said she thought there was something wrong with the 5th grader, and she’d had three parent-teacher conferences related to him.
Despite Hembrook’s comments, then-Principal Shameka Murphy also told investigators that the student’s parents had been “adamant” about having the child be removed from White’s class due to the alleged bullying, investigators said.
Over a week later, investigators said they met with White, who described the student as her “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
“White said (he) reminded her of actor Will Smith because [REDACTED] was tall, handsome, charismatic, and playful,” investigators wrote. “Investigators asked White if (his) behavior during the school year made her feel like there was something wrong with [REDACTED], and White said, ‘Yes.’”
Per investigators, White explained that she noticed some signs at the start of the school year that the student might need accommodations, but his parents refused to test him for an IEP.
White also told investigators that she’d always provided the student with extra support despite his failing grades, and his class was “the roughest,” the report says.
When asked whether she had any idea about why the student had called her mean, White replied, ‘Absolutely. Because [REDACTED] does not like reading in ELA or writing,‘" the report continues.
White was also confronted about the allegations that she yelled at students who got answers wrong, though she denied the claims, investigators wrote.
“No. They are 10. They’re going to get answers wrong,” she reportedly said.
And when asked why students would propagate these sorts of rumors, she allegedly told investigators, “Because they’re kids.”
“While Ms. Dawn White denied most of the incidents students reported, she did recall several incidents slightly different than students reported,” the report proclaims. “Ms. Dawn White said she felt the investigation was flawed due to students being interviewed after the [REDACTED] passed out fliers in the car line, accusing her of making (the student) take [REDACTED] life.”
However, investigators also noted that other parents had reported similar claims involving White, which supposedly led to a few students being removed from her class or transferring schools.
“The conduct students endured in Ms. Dawn White’s classes was unprofessional, and egregious, and should never occur in the classroom,” the report concludes.
Now, the student’s parents are accusing the school board of negligence, seeking over $100,000 in damages, court records show.
News 6 reached out to the school district for a statement about the allegations.
“A reminder this teacher’s contract was not renewed for the 2023-2024 school year, and Ms. White has not been employed with us since the time of investigation,” a spokesperson said.
A full copy of the 2023 investigative report has been attached below:
Investigative Report-Dawn White_Redacted by Anthony Talcott on Scribd
