Richland 2 ignored hazing, sexual assault by Ridge View basketball team, lawsuit says
Richland School District 2 allowed hazing and created an environment that caused a sexual assault on a member of the Ridge View High School basketball team, a lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the basketball player and his mother by attorney Tyler Bailey, also claims that Richland 2 violated parts of the federal Title IX law, which deals with discrimination in athletics at schools.
“We also hope this lawsuit forces Richland School District Two and other school districts across South Carolina to enact and enforce policies and procedures that will prevent this from happening to other student-athletes in the future,” Bailey said in a statement.
The basketball player and his mother are unidentified in the lawsuit, which isn’t unusual in court filings dealing with minors and sexual assault victims.
“Richland School District Two generally does not comment on pending litigation,” said Libby Roof, a spokesperson for the district. “While we cannot speak to the specifics of this case, Richland Two strives to provide a safe environment for all its students. Regarding this litigation, the District will respond in an appropriate manner through its counsel in court filings.”
In January 2020, the basketball player was in the Ridge View High School locker room before a game when a group of players ganged up on him and pinned him down. While they pinned him, they “violently sexually assaulted” him by punching him in the genitals, pulling off his underwear, groping his buttocks and trying to insert a finger in him, the lawsuit says.
He fought back as best he could and screamed before other players came and pulled the gang off of him, the suit says. The player told his coach before the game started. The coach said he would “’deal with this’” after the game, according to the suit.
The group that attacked the boy had planned the assault in a group chat, the suit says.
The suit alleges that Ridge View’s basketball team had “a history of hazing and violent abuse” that the district was aware of but never investigated or took meaningful action to stop.
The district “failed to properly ensure the safety and security” of the boy and “failed to properly monitor and supervise” the high school basketball team, the suit claims.
The boy was left with “severe” and permanent emotional and physical injuries because of the attack, according to the suit. His mother too was emotionally disturbed after her son told her about the attack and now has to go to extra lengths to protect her son.
The suit claims that the district failed to have a basketball team staff that was fit and trained to work with children, and school officials did not provide safe locker rooms, among other alleged failings.
In a message sent to parents in January 2020, the district said it had become aware of ”a violation of our district’s Student Code of Conduct. We immediately notified the Richland County Sheriff’s Department of this incident and continue to cooperate fully with the investigation.”
The statement also said that “school administrators followed district procedures and board policy in administering disciplinary consequences.”
Title IX is a 1972 amendment to federal education law that bars discrimination. The federal Department of Education website says that a Title IX school “must operate its education program or activity in a nondiscriminatory manner free of discrimination based on sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity.”
The suit claims that the school district violated Title IX by covering up the mother’s report of sexual assault instead of having a Title IX compliance officer investigate the matter. The suit alleges violations of other clauses of Title IX as well.
The suit seeks money for actual damages and as punishment.
The students said to have assaulted their teammate face criminal charges. In January 2020, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department charged the three players said to have held down the victim with assault and battery by mob. Deputies charged another player with first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Two of the players were 14 and two were 15 at the time of their arrests.
This story was originally published January 26, 2022 at 4:28 PM.