The mother of a former student at North Stafford High School has filed a lawsuit against the county school division seeking $15 million in compensatory damages, alleging failure to protect her child.
Court documents reveal that a female student, unnamed in this story due to her status as a minor, began spreading misinformation about the plaintiff’s child in December 2022, accusing her of making racist remarks, which the plaintiff Ashley Cain denies.
In January 2023, one of the two accused students confronted the plaintiff’s child, leading to the implementation of a “mediation resolution contract” by the school. This contract mandated no direct communication between the two and avoidance in various public settings, like hallways and the school cafeteria.
Despite this agreement, on April 24, 2023, the accused student attacked the plaintiff’s child in the school, resulting in injuries. A video of the incident surfaced online, further exacerbating the situation.
Court documents allege the child was again attacked in a gym locker room. Following that incident, on May 16, 2023, the plaintiff withdrew her child from North Stafford High School and relocated to a different county for their safety.
The school’s response to the escalating conflict was criticized in court documents, which allege inadequate separation measures and a lack of intervention despite ongoing threats.
The plaintiff’s attorney, James Frogale, noted that the incidents occurred when the students involved were freshmen in 2023.
The lawsuit seeks $5 million in compensatory damages from the students involved, $5 million from school staff named in the suit, and an additional $5 million from the School Board.
A spokesperson for the school division declined to comment on the matter.
The lawsuit also highlights a broader concern regarding school safety, referencing incidents at other schools within the division, including fights leading to suspensions and a lockdown at Brooke Point High School in January 2024 that led to the suspensions of 19 students.
In the weeks following the lockdown, the school division ended a county-wide program that allowed high school students a daily one-hour lunch and allowed them to walkabout campus. Parents who spoke to Potomac Local blamed the free period on increased fights in county high schools.
Kelly Sienkowski contributed to this story.
