- The parents of 10-year-old Sammy Teusch, who died by suicide in May after being bullied, are suing his school district
- The Indiana fourth-grader died on Sunday, May 5, after his 13-year-old brother, Xander, found him unresponsive in his bedroom that morning
- The lawsuit claims that Sammy's complaints about bullying at school “fell on deaf ears” and his parents filed “approximately 20 reports” to his teachers
The parents of a 10-year-old Indiana fourth-grader who died by suicide have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his school district.
Sammy Teusch died on Sunday, May 5, after his 13-year-old brother Xander found him lifeless in his bedroom that morning, PEOPLE previously reported.
According to a May 31 news release from Greenfield Police Chief Brian Hartman, an investigation has since confirmed that bullying occurred in Sammy's life both in and outside of school before the child's “traumatic” death.
On Tuesday, December 17, Sammy's parents – Samuel “Sam” Teusch and Nicole “Nicci” Teusch – filed a complaint against the Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation and its governing body, the Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation Board of Trustees Hancock County Circuit Court, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.
Courtesy of Sam Teusch
The lawsuit alleges that employees “did nothing to address Sammy's bullying” despite being “repeatedly informed” of it, and that “Sammy was a direct and proximate result of the district and's gross neglect of what was arguably her most important duty.” these people have assumed his duty”. own life on May 5, 2024.” The complaint mentions several people by name, including Greenfield-Central Schools Superintendent Harold Olin. Sammy's parents also accuse the school of negligent care and supervision.
“Sammy’s repeated complaints to his teacher fell on deaf ears,” the 14-page complaint states. “Sammy's frustration grew to the point where he turned his desk around to draw his teacher's attention to the bullying he was being subjected to.”
“When that cry for help didn't work, Sammy would try to hide in a closet or under his desk. “His teacher’s only response was to punish Sammy for what she perceived as disruptive behavior,” the lawsuit added.
The complaint includes images and information about the “physical abuse” Sammy suffered, as well as the allegation that a student and “other girls” “told Sammy to hang himself.” The same student also allegedly took a photo of Sammy's open casket at his funeral and was later seen laughing on her phone, the complaint says.
One incident mentioned in the lawsuit claims Sammy was “physically assaulted on the school bus” and suffered “facial pain and swelling” after being “punched in the face.”
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He also reportedly suffered “a black eye” and neck and shoulder injuries after another student hit him in the head with his iPad on the bus, the lawsuit says.
According to the complaint, Sammy's parents had made “approximately 20 reports” of school bullying before his death.
“He was a smart, funny and loving boy who loved fishing, playing with robots, soccer, being outside and leading his family around picking up trash when they went to the beach or on a nature hike went. Sammy was quick to make friends, didn't know a stranger, didn't want to harm anyone, never sat still, and had the biggest heart and the prettiest smile,” the lawsuit says.
Courtesy of Sam Teusch
According to the complaint, Sammy's parents are requesting a jury trial against the defendants.
Sammy and his family moved to Greenfield from Pensacola, Florida in 2022, and his father Sam previously told PEOPLE that it didn't take long for the bullying to start.
Sam told PEOPLE in May that Sammy's death “can't be fixed,” adding, “So I have to create something to make it up to others.”
He has urged people to sign a petition calling on Congress to pass legislation to curb bullying nationwide. The petition has so far received over 34,500 signatures.
Sam said at the time that he found it difficult to overcome the grief of his son's death and be “positive, loving and kind.”
“How do you do that in a situation like that?” he told PEOPLE. “This will never, ever, ever, ever be positive. Never. There’s nothing positive about it… There’s nothing positive about it unless we get it done.”
Greenfield-Central Community Schools Board of Governors and Greenfield-Central Schools Superintendent Harold Olin did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, texting “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or going to 988lifeline.org .
