BOISE, Idaho — Former Boise School District student, Ashley Green, formally filed a $1 million tort claim against the school district this week, claiming staff failed to provide a safe place to learn amidst ongoing bullying and harassment that spanned throughout her time in elementary, middle, and high school.
The tort claim alleges that specific staff and administrators from the Boise School District, Timberline High School, Les Bois Junior High, and Trail Wind Elementary failed to report or prevent ongoing abuse and harassment.
Attorneys with the Rossman Law Group say in their claim that Green experienced a long-running pattern of bullying, harassment, and abuse during her time as a student with the Boise School District.
Even after repeated attempts to formally report the abuse, they claim school officials failed to remedy the situation and, through neglect, allowed the bullying to continue.
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The claim indicates that the bullying began in the 5th grade at Trail Winds Elementary School, where school counselors tried to mediate conflicts between Green and students accused of bullying. The claim says those sessions "failed to improve the situation," and Green became suicidal as a result of "bullying and neglect."
The court document alleges Green eventually took her concerns to Principal Beverly Boyd, whom she claims would "brush off" the reports of bullying.
During one encounter, the claimant says that the principal became frustrated as she pleaded for support and ultimately hit her hand as it rested on the administrator's desk.
In another instance, Green told a school nurse about how she'd attempted to commit suicide with a pair of garden shears during an outing at the school's garden. In response to telling the nurse about her suicidal ideations, Green was taken to the principal's office, where her attorneys claim, "she was physically abused by Principal Boyd and was hit on the head."
When Ashley Green moved onto Les Bois Junior High, she claims she was the subject of sexual assault by another male student on campus. In one graphic account, Green says the male student held her at knifepoint while whispering into her ear, "don't tell anyone."
Again, the claimant says she reported her concerns to Les Bois staff and administrators in December of 2019, including general counsel Dan Skinner, who she says failed to report the incidents to law enforcement, which is mandatory by law in Idaho.
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As a student at Timberline High School, the abuse reportedly continued as she received verbal and physical threats from other students. The bullying included being hit with spitballs, which she later reported to school staff. She was apparently told by staff that "we're handling it."
Still, the bullying continued.
At one point during her high school tenure, the claimant says a male student told her, "she should be raped then killed."
Still, school administrators and staff did not intervene, and at one point, the claimant says she was suspended by Tim Ellinghouse, a vice principal at the time, for reporting a bully to their mother.
The tort claim finishes by saying that the Boise School District and the aforementioned schools are "liable for the injuries and damages suffered by Ashley Green pursuant to Idaho Code 6-1701. As a result, Green will seek damages for "past and future mental pain and suffering, psychological damages, loss of enjoyment of life, past medical expenses, future medical expenses, [and] any other damages to which she is legally entitled; punitive damages; and attorney's fess, costs and interest."
In total, they deem those damages to be "in excess of $1,000,000."
