Pantagraph.com Weather forecast, local radar and more
NewsMonday, June 16, 2008 4:16 PM CDT
Comments Comments (23) | E-mail this page E-mail this page | Print this page Print this page | Enlarge type Enlarge type | Reduce type Reduce type | Search archives Search archives | RSS RSS feeds | Add to My Yahoo! Add to My Yahoo!
Parents sue school after bullied son commits suicide
By Cassondra Kirby
McClatchy Newspapers
Advertisement

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. -- Sheila Patton was making chocolate chip cookies for her 13-year-old son to take to school on a cold morning last November when she heard a loud thud in his bedroom.

Alarmed, she rushed with her husband, Lawrence, to check on Stephen, their only child. They found him lying awkwardly and unresponsive on the floor next to a heater in his room.

``There was so much blood,'' Sheila Patton said softly Friday. ``We thought he had fallen and hit his head on the heater.''

What the couple didn't see was the 9 millimeter handgun next to his body.

Now, the Pattons say that Stephen's school shares responsibility for his suicide. They have filed a lawsuit against officials at Allen Central Middle School, where Stephen was an eighth-grader, saying that the school allowed him to be bullied to the point that he killed himself.

In the months after Stephen's death, the Pattons say his classmates and other parents have approached them with tales of harassment and severe bullying that Stephen endured daily at the Floyd County school, which has a little more than 300 students.

Sheila and Lawrence say they are outraged that no one from the school informed them of the situation.

``There was no excuse why we weren't told this was going on with our child,'' Sheila Patton said. ``When we send our children to school, we believe they are going to be taken care of. ... If they allowed this to happen to my child, it could happen to others.''

Such lawsuits are not unprecedented, and bullying has gotten much more attention in recent years.

At least 26 states, including Kentucky, have either enacted or are considering anti-bullying legislation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. In April, Gov. Steve Beshear signed into law Kentucky's so-called ``bullying bill,'' which aims to curb schoolhouse intimidation.

In her yearbook years ago, under the place where it asks what you want to be when you get older, Sheila Patton wrote: ``a wife and a mommy.''

But when Sheila, 42, and Lawrence Patton, 48, were married about 25 years ago, they waited 10 years before they had Stephen.

``We wanted to be sure we were financially stable, that we were going to be together and that the child was going to be our first priority,'' said Sheila Patton, who works for social services. ``And he was.''

The Pattons did all the things that first-time, over-protective parents do. They fussed over him and maybe spoiled him some, they admit. They drove him to and from school each day so he didn't have to ride the bus. They didn't allow him to spend the night with anyone other than close family, and they were quick to encourage him in school and in sports. Together, they attended every game he played.

Lawrence Patton, who is disabled, describes Stephen as his best friend. Stephen was his hunting and fishing partner and a buddy that he talked with about cars and tools. The boy was a whiz with his hands and could build anything, the couple says.

In his awkward teenage years, the couple says, Stephen was also shy and quiet. He had a stutter when he talked and, at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, he was much bigger and taller than other boys in his school. Stephen, who had a full mustache and was already shaving as an eighth-grader, was a jeans and T-shirt kind of boy. They say he loved black cowboy boots, which he wore to school daily.

It was these things — his tall, gangly stance, the stutter, the cowboy boots — that students teased and harassed him about, Sheila later learned.

She sobs as she talks about what other students have told her about how Stephen was treated at school — the names they called him, the way they would pretend to stutter as they past him in the hallway. They often pushed and knocked him down.

What haunts Sheila Patton the most is knowing that students were taking from him the lunches she packed every day. When the Pattons cleaned out his locker after his death, they found bags of snacks that he had apparently kept to eat when his lunches were stolen.

``That's one of the hardest things to deal with — is to think that as protective as we were of him, as good of care we took and as responsible as we were, this still happened,'' Sheila Patton said. ``Every decision we made started out with what was best for him and then to learn there were days that he didn't have his lunch.''

However, at his funeral service, one by one classmates of Stephen approached her.

``We had children in our arms, those little girls just crying and crying,'' Sheila Patton said. ``They kept saying they were sorry they didn't do something to stop it, to help Stephen.''

As she looks back now, she can see some signs of trouble. Stephen's grades had dropped, even though he scored high on end-of-the-year state testing. There were often days Stephen didn't want to go to school and he frequently called around lunchtime complaining of a migraine and asking to come home. When school was out for summer break or during holidays, he never had migraines.

The Pattons say they are baffled that no one from Allen Central Middle School informed them their son was being picked on, even though they had plenty of opportunities. Sheila says Lawrence drove Stephen to school and picked him up every day. Lawrence also had done some volunteer work at the school a week before Stephen's death.

The Pattons, who filed their lawsuit June 2, say teachers and the principal knew or should have known the taunting was occurring.

(c) 2008, Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Ky.).

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Video
Most commented stories
Browse online archives
Recent issues:
Reader comments on this story - 23 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

mom_in_il wrote on Jun 17, 2008 8:42 AM:

" I have no faith in public school systems anywhere. My son was bullied all through school up til this last year (6th grade), when I took both of my kids out and enrolled them in a private online christian school. Best choice I've ever made in my life! The schools rather than correcting those that were doing the bullying, would basically throw it back on my son, he needed to try to get along better, or they would change his locker, or move him to a different lunch table. I'm also sick and tired of the "Oh, that's just the way kids are..." line. No, it's not. Oh yah, the shcool's here have 'anti-bullying' policies..but trying to get them to enforce them is a whole other issue. "

mom_in_il wrote on Jun 17, 2008 8:11 AM:

" I have no faith in public school systems anywhere. My son was bullied all through school up til this last year (6th grade), when I took both of my kids out and enrolled them in a private online christian school. Best choice I've ever made in my life! The schools rather than correcting those that were doing the bullying, would basically throw it back on my son, he needed to try to get along better, or they would change his locker, or move him to a different lunch table. I'm also sick and tired of the "Oh, that's just the way kids are..." line. No, it's not. Oh yah, the shcool's here have 'anti-bullying' policies..but trying to get them to enforce them is a whole other issue. "

moon mullins wrote on Jun 16, 2008 8:47 PM:

" I too was bullied as a child, but I grew up in a different time when kids could could fight back without fear of getting shot or being charged with assault and sent off to a juvenile detention facility. I had a severe stutter and had bad allergies which made me sickly. If I had to speak up in class I would be interrupted with howls of laughter. My memory is the teachers would do little to correct their behavior. My real problem involved my neighbors and later, coworkers as an adult. I was taller than average and stronger than the bullies. My parents allowed me to fight back as a kid. Believe me it worked. Most of us got along as friends later on. Children should be taught tolerance and how to work through difficult situations like bullying without fighting. A strong rebuke to the bully one on one usually reveals the bully to be a WIMP. And by the way, stuttering can be controlled if not even cured. This case in Kentucky is so sad. I could easily have done the same as him when I was a child. "

michelle24 wrote on Jun 16, 2008 5:58 PM:

" *rolls eyes*`` I was in the same situation, with the same feelings. I had to move to another state, came back a few yrs later (missed my momma) :) things calmed down after everybody graduated and moved on, but still--some days it's like yesturday, and now I'm running into the people who we're just wretched back in the day, and they act like nothing ever happened. Time heals all wounds right? Well I forgave em, but I'll never forget. "

sweetchuckd wrote on Jun 16, 2008 5:56 PM:

" This is a shame. Schools need to be accountable for the well-being of each student that enters its doors. This story was even featured on DetentionSlip.org. It exposes news like this from our schools every day. "

justme wrote on Jun 16, 2008 4:59 PM:

" The instance of my child sticking up for the special kids, the Asst Principal was THERE WATCHING these kids get made fun of and harassed, when my child told the bullies to get lost MY CHILD got the detention for no minding their own business... I let my child serve the detention because we BELIEVE our child did the right thing by 'PUTTING THIER NOSE" in someones elses business!! "

I am Me wrote on Jun 16, 2008 4:49 PM:

" JimmyChooGirl, I don't see anyone on here saying bullying is okay or that the schools shouldn't punish bullies. All I see are people saying a lawsuit isn't going to solve anything. Parents also need to teach their kids to how to deal with bullies. Both of my boys have been bullied at one time or another and they learned to deal with it. Stand up to a bully and you'll see they're actually cowards. But let's not teach our children how to cope with bullies, let's wait for something bad to happen and then sue the school. "

MISSterious wrote on Jun 16, 2008 4:33 PM:

" JimmyChooG: Right on! "

MISSterious wrote on Jun 16, 2008 4:32 PM:

" In some states, there is a law that the school has a responsibility to keep the students safe, and to take action when a student is being harassed, sexually or otherwise, and bullied. Does anyone know the LAW in Kentucky, or our state? I suppose I could look it up myself....der. "

The other Dave wrote on Jun 16, 2008 4:25 PM:

" Bullying is bad and should not be happening. I agree that we should take any steps necessary to try to reduce bullying. And this family is having to endure a horrible loss so my heart goes out to them.

However..... how does suing a school, the principal and others help reduce bullying? Doesn't it just make the schools hire more lawyers and risk losing more money. It also sounds like the parents should have known something was happening. Why are they not suing themselves? My problem is that people turn to a law suit asking for money as the ultimate answer when tragedy happens. I think that is a greater wrong. "

JimmyChooGirl wrote on Jun 16, 2008 3:20 PM:

" It's funny some of you can say "kids will be kids" and statments similar to make me think you think this is okay. Let's define bullying in the adult world...

Raping, harrasing, mugging, stalking...We take these things very seriously. Well guess what, some of these people that stalk, rape, mug, etc were the same ones that were taking your lunch, pushing you down on the playground, etc when you were young and in school. But hey let's not do anything about it, they are just kids! "

mdorf4 wrote on Jun 16, 2008 3:16 PM:

" Are you serious Super Grover? Let's sue everybody. Maybe the parents of children being bullied should be sued, too, for allowing their child to be bullied. People always want to blame others for anything that happens. Bullying goes on everywhere, so you could probably make a case for every teacher to be sued. The teachers aren't going to even know about 99% of the bullying that goes on, so you would create a witch hunt. That would sure make people want to be teachers. It starts at home with how you raise your child. The parents of the child being bullied are just as guilty as parents of the bully. This is a terrible tragedy, but the school should not be responsible. "

*rolls eyes* wrote on Jun 16, 2008 2:39 PM:

" To I am Me:

Bullying has always been around, but I disagree that we should allow it to continue to happen.

I had to put up with quite a bit of bullying when I was a kid and to be honest there were times I fantasized about taking a gun to school and shooting the kids responsible. Fortunately, I was a little more pragmatic/well adjusted than some others and it never moved beyond a fantasy with me, but tolerance of bullying is a major contributing factor to school shootings and teen suicides.

I realize that we will never be able to stamp it out completely. . . but kids caught bullying others should be dealt with swiftly and severely as an object lesson and a deterrent to others. Its not like they don't know any better or can't help themselves. Its a behavioral issue that has been tolerated for far too long.

Just because we can't 'solve' the problem, doesn't mean we can't at least improve the situation for many kids from where it is today and possibly reduce the inward or outward violence that is sometimes the result. "

I am Me wrote on Jun 16, 2008 2:15 PM:

" Bullying has always been around and always will be. Unfortunately, in our litigious society, we've got to blame someone so let's sue the school. "

Super Grover wrote on Jun 16, 2008 1:43 PM:

" I hope the lawsuit will include the parents of the bullies.
Prairie central is mentioned in one of the post,Perhaps a Lawsuit BEFORE a kid dies is in order there.If my kid got a detention for defending special kids,I give him a reward and see to it the there was no detention.Until Parents go after these terrible teachers and rotten kids this will go on and on.If you sue enough Teachers then it will stop.A teacher who fears being fired will perk right up and PAY attention to what goes on in class.... "

brookian wrote on Jun 16, 2008 1:20 PM:

" I've long been a proponent of web accessible camera systems in the classrooms, halls and external grounds of schools. They should be available to school administrators and parents as a way of monitoring classroom behavior....of both the students AND the teachers.

Nothing like someone looking over your shoulder to keep you honest.

Our schools are almost like prisons anyways, let's just install the cameras and make EVERYONE at school accountable for their own actions. "

Melanie11 wrote on Jun 16, 2008 1:18 PM:

" I endured some bullying while in grade school... obviously not enough to make me want to end my life, but nevertheless, i don't think that any teacher could have seen the bullying. It was always verbal, and often it made me cry.

I do feel so bad for the family and I know they just want justice for what happened. But suing the school will not solve any pain that they feel. I just feel like they could have easily talked to their son and let him know that he is stronger than any bully at school, just as easily as the school could have prevented the bullying. "

justme wrote on Jun 16, 2008 1:16 PM:

" This sort of stuff goes on all the time at Prairie Central! Teachers do hear this sort of stuff and choose to turn their head. My child got a detention for sticking up for Special Ed kids, they say it was because my child needed to mind her own business... I myself have taught my kids that they need to put THEIR NOSE IN where someone is being bullied!! I have a ZERO tolerance at my house for bullies! My kids friends know I don't tolerate this kind of behavior and other parents need to follow the the same rules! Also, never say my child would never bully another kid, I thought the same thing when a bus driver approached me and said my child was starting to act like some of the older kids, I put a stop to that right away and we went to the kids house and we made our child apoligize to the other child!! My older child also has been harassed alot in HS and all the Asst Principal sayes kids will be kids... "

blm reader wrote on Jun 16, 2008 12:47 PM:

" To: ISUSTUDENT: Until you are in the classroom, you might want to reserve your judgements. Nearly all teachers go into the teaching profession because they care so much for children and want to help them. You will be surprised what you learn when you have had a few years under your belt. Bullies are smart. They save their bullying for neighborhood bus stops, during lunch recess and other times when certified staff are not present. One solution to soften this problem is to put money into better training lunchroom supervisors and to add more of these trained staff to monitor bathrooms and hallways. "

s|ren wrote on Jun 16, 2008 12:45 PM:

" The same tragedy has happened to our family. My youngest cousin, 17 years old, took his own life essentially because he was bullied. The school was aware of the problem and did nothing to rectify the situation. He was bullied by the same group of boys for FOUR years and no real action was ever taken. I just can't fathom how these teachers and administrators can stand by the wayside and let these things happen. Something definitely needs to be done. ISUSTUDENT, we need more future educators like yourself who are willing to stand up for the students and actually believe in the difference they can make, rather than someone who wants summers off from their jobs. Kudos and good luck to you. "

Woodford Guy wrote on Jun 16, 2008 12:41 PM:

" 6'3", 195lbs in 8th grade and people were taking his lunches??? "

JimmyChooGirl wrote on Jun 16, 2008 12:36 PM:

" How awful! It's so sad that the school did nothing. I'm sure some of the students would have like to have done something but couldn't for fear of being picked on also...but the teachers? They should have done something!!!

My prayers go out to this family! "

ISUSTUDENT wrote on Jun 16, 2008 12:19 PM:

" This is so sad, my heart goes out to this family. As a future teacher, it makes me even more sick that the teachers most likely saw this and did nothing and i think that the parents have all the right to sue the school. A school is supposed to protect students when they are in their care. "
Add your own comments

Please read the rules before posting comments.

You must be logged in to leave comments.
If you don't have a member ID, please register.

*Member ID:
*Password:
Remember login?
(requires cookies)
  Forgot Your Password?
 
Lee Enterprises Customer Service | 301 W. Washington St., PO Box 2907, Bloomington, IL 61701-2907 | Ph. 309-829-9000 | 800-747-7323
Copyright © 2008, Pantagraph Publishing Co. and Lee Enterprises. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy