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Two Lawsuits Against Central Lee Schools Dismissed

A pair of lawsuits filed against the Central Lee School District have been dismissed.

The first lawsuit was filed in May 2017 by the parent of an unidentified student. It alleged that a school administrator assaulted the student when the student tried to leave the administrator’s office.  No details of the alleged assault were included in the lawsuit.

Less than two weeks after the lawsuit was filed, Central Lee Superintendent Andy Crozier, Lee County Sheriff Stacy Weber, and Lee County Attorney Clinton Boddicker issued a joint statement. They said they had reviewed a video recording of the matter and felt it did not warrant criminal charges.

Despite that, the pending lawsuit remained until mid-December 2018, when Attorney Curtis Dial filed a motion with the court to dismiss the lawsuit on behalf of the parent who filed it. Dial’s dismissal was “with prejudice,” which means the lawsuit cannot be refiled and is considered complete.

Dial said in an email to Tri States Public Radio Monday afternoon that the lawsuit was dismissed as part of a settlement with the Central Lee School District. He declined to comment on the details of the settlement. Supt. Andy Crozier also declined comment on behalf of the district.

The second lawsuit was filed in January 2018 by the parents of an unidentified student. It named Central Lee and the parent of another unidentified student.

The parents who filed their lawsuit said their child was being severely bullied and the district did not stop it from happening. They sought to prohibit the children from being near each other to prevent future bullying.

Dial also represented the family who filed the second lawsuit. He said it was dismissed roughly two weeks before trial because his clients had moved and their child was no longer attending classes at Central Lee, rendering the lawsuit “moot.”

Crozier again declined comment on behalf of the district.

Jason Parrott is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.