School system facing lawsuit

Mom says son, 7, bullied, molested

The mother of a 7-year-old second-grader at Rosenwald Elementary School is suing the Pointe Coupee Parish school system and the parent of a boy she alleges bullied and sexually assaulted her son in March.

In the lawsuit, filed Friday in the 18th Judicial District Court by Baton Rouge by attorney Alfred Williams, the mother of the victim, identified in the suit as A.C., claims her son was physically and sexually assaulted by an 11-year-old fourth-grader, identified as D.C. in the lawsuit, on March 21 during his bus ride home from school.

To protect the identities of the minors involved, The Advocate is not identifying the mothers, whose names are listed in the lawsuit.

A.C.’s mother alleges that while her son was attending Rosenwald she informed administrators at the school and the parish school system about D.C.’s bullying of her son and several of his younger classmates, the lawsuit alleges.

On March 21, A.C. was seated with D.C. during their bus ride home from school.

Before A.C. was dropped off at home, the lawsuit alleges, D.C. sexually assaulted the second-grader in front of other students also riding the bus.

D.C. threatened bodily harm to A.C. if he told anyone about the incident, the lawsuit alleges.

The accused’s mother did not return calls Monday for comment.

According to the lawsuit, the victim’s mother filed a criminal complaint with the Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff’s Office, which investigated the matter.

D.C. was arrested on or about May 2 by sheriff’s deputies and booked on oral sexual battery, according to the lawsuit.

Sheriff’s Capt. Steven Juge said Monday he could not confirm or deny any details related to the incident because of the ages of the victim and the accused.

The lawsuit alleges A.C. was forced to transfer to another school following the incident because he was being teased by other children and was being called “abusive” names.

A.C. also endured severe mental and physical anguish and psychological and physical scarring stemming from the March 21 attack, the lawsuit alleges.

The victim’s mother is suing the school district, D.C.’s mother, the bus driver — identified in the lawsuit as LaConya Leonard — and the school system’s insurance companies.

A.C.’s mother accuses the school system of failing to protect her son from D.C.’s bullying, failing to provide proper supervision and monitoring of the situation, not properly investigating her bullying complaints and not training employees on the proper handling of sexual abuse claims, the lawsuit alleges.

The victim’s mother is asking the court for punitive damages.

School Superintendent Linda D’Amico was at a conference Monday and referred calls concerning the case to the school system’s attorney.

Thomas Anzelmo, of the law firm McCranie, Sistrunk, Anzelmo, Hardy, McDaniel and Welch, in New Orleans, declined to comment on the case while it is still pending in court.