“Calling it bullying minimizes the severity and horror of this attack,” said Kim T. Cole, the lawyer representing Summer Smith and her son SeMarion Humphrey, an eighth-grader at Haggard Middle School.
A fellow student befriended SeMarion and invited him to a sleepover that took place over the weekend of February 12, Cole and Smith told CNN. Smith says that SeMarion did not know beforehand that some boys who harassed him at school would also be at the slumber party.
SeMarion was called slander, made to drink what appeared to be urine and shot with BB guns at a slumber party that was “pre-calculated” and “racially motivated,” said Cole.
SeMarion was harassed while on the football team, Smith said, prompting him to leave the team during the 2019-2020 season.
According to Smith, SeMarion reported the alleged harassment of the coach and a school counselor, but she said she felt the school officials ignored it, saying “boys are boys”.
SeMarion is still a classmate of the members of the football team that harassed him, although he is no longer on the team, both Smith and Cole said.
Video circulates of the alleged bullying
At the slumber party, Cole said SeMarion was insulted, called N-word, and was also called homophobic slander.
Some of the boys shot SeMarion with BB guns, Cole said. A cell phone video shared by Cole shows SeMarion was made to drink what appears to be urine in a glass. Laughter and laughter can be heard in the video.
Another video shows SeMarion being slapped once in his sleep, Cole said.
SeMarion initially didn’t tell anyone about what allegedly happened at the slumber party because the boys threatened him, Cole said. He did not return to school until the week of February 22 because of the snowstorm the week before, the lawyer said.
Back at school, a classmate asked him if he really drank the urine. Cole told CNN that SeMarion initially did not remember the alleged urine incident because that night he took sleeping pills for his anxiety. The colleague then showed him the video that was being shared at school, added the lawyer.
SeMarion did not tell the principal what happened at the slumber party until last week, when school officials were informed of the videos, according to Cole. The school then informed his mother, Cole added.
The district initiates an investigation
“Incidents like this affect our entire community. I want our community to know that the ISD Plan does not tolerate and will not tolerate bullying or harassment and believes that all students should be treated with dignity and respect,” said Bonser.
In a statement to CNN, the school district said Haggard Middle School leaders and counselors “immediately started working closely and carefully with all students involved and their parents”.
“Since the ISD Plan employs local law enforcement officers as school resource officers, the Plan’s Police Department was immediately involved,” said the school district.
Plan Police Department public information officer David Tilley told CNN that the department is “aggressively investigating this case”.
Tilley said that boss Ed Drain met with SeMarion’s family and described the meeting as “very productive”.
SeMarion wore a T-shirt with the words “Justice for me”
Smith told CNN that she felt “devastated” when she heard about what happened at the slumber party, adding that she “cried for a long time”.
“I was angry, sad, confused because he was at a friend’s house,” Smith told CNN.
Cole said he will put pressure on the school district to make changes to the way they deal with bullying and harassment.
“At the moment, what the ISD Plan is doing is not working,” said Cole. “I’m not sure if the flaw is in the policies. I’m not sure if the flaw is in the implementation of the policies. I don’t know where the flaw is, but I intend to get to the bottom of it and ensure that the ISD Plan has the appropriate policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety of our children. ”
SeMarion felt “empowered” during a protest that took place last week, Cole said. The lawyer said SeMarion “was simply ecstatic” after seeing people appear to support him, adding that he wore a shirt and made a sign that said “Justice for me”.