Bullied Student's Mom Sues Greensburg Schools

(Greensburg, Ind.) – Greensburg Community Schools are being sued by the mother of a 15-year-old boy who was allegedly bullied into committing suicide.  

Indianapolis-based attorney Tom Blessing said the school system is partly to blame for the 2010 death of Billy Lucas, who hung himself.  The lawsuit was filed September 4.

“The peers ridiculing him and harassing him was bad enough, but when the teachers stood there and let it happen when it occurred physically in their presence, they would say things or make comments as well,” Blessing said.

The wrongful death lawsuit claims Lucas was a target because of his learning disability, ethnicity and because some classmates thought he was gay. 

Ann Lucas says her son Billy talked to her just days before his suicide about being bullied. 

“He told me ‘Mom, you don’t know what it’s like to walk down the halls of school and be afraid of who’s going to hit you, who’s going to kick you,” said Lucas.

The attorney said there is a long history of bullying and harassment in Greensburg schools because students know no one ever steps in to stop the behavior. 

In addition to the school corporation, the lawsuit also names as defendants former Greensburg Junior High School principal Rodney King, assistant principal David Strouse, teacher Iris Ramp and teacher’s aide Darci Kovacich.

In the complaint Blessing claims “Ramp and Kovacich witnessed students harassing and bullying W.L. (Lucas) on multiple occasions yet did nothing to prevent or stop it. In fact, Ramp and Kovacich not only ignored the harassment of W.L. by other students at the School, but in some cases encouraged and even actively participated in the harassment of W.L. themselves.”

Greensburg Community Schools have not commented on the lawsuit.