Excessive College Scholar with Incapacity Who Needed to Sit in Viewers for Commencement Information Lawsuit: ‘Humiliating’

Legal professionals for the scholar allege that what occurred on commencement day was the newest in a collection of how Lee was mistreated by the varsity

• Kennedy Lee has sued the Weakley County Board of Training after she and the 2 different graduating college students from Greenfield Excessive had been pressured to sit down with the viewers as an alternative of with their friends throughout commencement

• The swimsuit additionally alleged that Lee and one other pupil with POTS spent practically everything of her college day throughout her junior 12 months in a “former storage closet,” as the varsity claimed her incapacity was “an excessive amount of of a disruption to different college students”

• “This case entails excessive prejudice and insecurity in the direction of individuals with disabilities,” learn the criticism, which was obtained by PEOPLE

A former Tennessee highschool pupil with disabilities has sued a faculty board after she and two other graduating students were forced to sit with the audience somewhat than with their friends after a collection of alleged “prejudice.”

Kennedy Lee beforehand informed PEOPLE that she and two different graduating Greenfield Excessive College college students had been relegated to the bleachers at their Could 17 commencement ceremony.

“It actually harm that I used to be not given these identical alternatives as my different classmates, and my total highschool profession has not been regular,” Lee stated on the time. “So I simply needed one evening to be a traditional pupil and be handled like a traditional pupil, and that was robbed of me.”

On July 12, legal professionals for Lee filed a criticism in U.S. District Courtroom in opposition to the Weakley County Board of Training, alleging that what occurred to her on commencement day was the newest in a collection of “humiliating” methods Lee was mistreated by the varsity.

“This case entails excessive prejudice and insecurity in the direction of individuals with disabilities,” the criticism, which was obtained by PEOPLE, acknowledged. “To the Greenfield Excessive College administration, individuals with sure neurological disabilities ought to be ushered away, not seen, segregated from their friends.”

In line with the swimsuit, Lee, has postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) — a situation that “causes your coronary heart to beat quicker than regular” when transitioning from sitting all the way down to standing up, which might trigger fainting, in keeping with the Cleveland Clinic — in addition to a practical neurological dysfunction.

As an alternative of following the scholar’s 504 plan, which protects the rights of scholars with disabilities and is meant to take away obstacles to studying, the lawsuit alleged that Lee spent a lot of her junior 12 months at Greenfield Excessive in a former storage closet, which the varsity cleaned out and positioned cots in.

“WCS [Weakley County Schools] confined and ostracized Kennedy,” the criticism learn, “and the opposite pupil with POTS, to the storage closet for all of their junior 12 months of highschool, the 2022-2023 college 12 months, with no entry to non-disabled friends, no entry to extracurricular actions, no entry to particular courses like artwork or music, no entry to consuming lunch within the cafeteria with friends, no entry to make use of of the library, and restricted to no entry to trainer instruction within the common training curriculum.”

“WCS gave Kennedy a web based curriculum completely different from and missing that of her non-disabled friends within the common training lecture rooms,” added the criticism.

An lawyer representing the varsity district didn’t reply to PEOPLE’s repeated requests for remark.

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In line with the lawsuit, Lee’s incapacity known as for “affordable lodging” from the varsity, like getting extra time to finish assignments and being allowed to sit down close to lecturers and mates, simply in case she wanted assist.

“Slightly than abide by the 504 Plan, WCS went to humiliating extremes,” the lawsuit claimed. “It put Kennedy and one other pupil in her grade who additionally had POTS in a former storage closet. WCS cleaned out the closet, then positioned two cot beds on either side, one for every pupil. The nurse sat within the closet too, at a small desk,” learn the lawsuit, which included a photograph of Lee within the alleged closet.

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The criticism claimed these measures had been put in place as a result of the varsity allegedly stated that her POTS incapacity was “an excessive amount of of a disruption to different college students.”

“Having suffered the bias and indignity of being remoted to the storage closet, and with WCS providing no different viable options, Kennedy went on homebound standing for the 2023-2024 college 12 months, her senior 12 months,” the swimsuit added.

By commencement, the lawsuit famous that Lee had appeared ahead to strolling on stage along with her classmates through the ceremony. However as PEOPLE beforehand reported, she as an alternative sat with the viewers through the official occasion.

“This resolution focused Kennedy’s incapacity,” the swimsuit alleged. “The principal stated WCS didn’t need Kennedy ‘falling out’ on the fitness center flooring with somebody coming down from the viewers to rescue or help her. That, the principal stated, could be embarrassing for the varsity if posted on social media.”

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The criticism alleged Lee’s mom raised the difficulty of commencement with the Weakley County’s Director of Faculties, who reportedly “sympathized” however didn’t appropriate the principal.

In an earlier assertion relating to Lee’s allegations surrounding Greenfield Excessive’s Could 17 graduation, Weakley County Director of Faculties Jeff Cupples stated that every one district “commencement ceremonies are deliberate to make sure the security of all contributors.”

“Weakley County Faculties doesn’t discriminate on the idea of race, creed, coloration, incapacity, nationwide origin, gender, age, political affiliation, or beliefs,” concluded the assertion.

Lee beforehand informed PEOPLE that she did contemplate boycotting the ceremony however determined in opposition to it.

As an alternative, she attended and “watched her graduating classmates file in, whereas she walked in individually and sat within the bleachers,” per the criticism.

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“After commencement, WCS created social media postings of the graduating class of 2024,” the swimsuit learn. “Noticeably absent, not even talked about, had been Kennedy and the opposite two college students with disabilities. This is able to be the ultimate humiliating act of segregation and exclusion that Kennedy skilled.”

Along with “affordable lawyer’s charges and prices” in addition to “compensatory damages,” Lee is looking for to coach college officers and employees about “the hurt of segregation, the mixing mandate, and the rights to affordable lodging,” per the criticism.

Lee’s attorneys informed PEOPLE in a press release regarding the lawsuit, “Kennedy’s incapacity could generally restrict her means to bodily stand, however no person will query her standing as much as this college system.”

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