March 18, 2024

PCM bullying civil suit dismissed

NEWTON — A 2013 civil suit accusing the Prairie City-Monroe School District of ignoring bullying allegations by a former student was dismissed from Jasper County Civil Court last week.

The unnamed Jane and John Doe plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the suit with prejudice, filing the motion through their attorney July 22. According to Jasper County District Court records, the case was previously scheduled for a jury trial July 21.

In their civil complaint, originally filed in June 2013, the plaintiffs claim the PCM School District and district superintendent Jane Babcock took no action to protect their son from bullying and harassment during incidents which allegedly occurred while he was a student at PCM Middle School.

The plaintiffs claimed their then 12-year-old, seventh grade son was sexually harassed by a ninth grade student during and after wrestling practice in the PCM High School lockerroom showers. The 12-year-old claimed the sexually-explicit bullying extended to Facebook, including direct messages and other correspondence.

The plaintifs alledged their son complained to Babcock and school board member Mitchell Chipps repeatedly between December 2011 and January 2012. The court petition and jury demand filed June 12, 2013, stated Babcock allegedly told the 12-year-old’s mother the incidents involving her son were not actionable and suggested she destroy the Facebook exchanges. The plaintiffs also claimed Chipps told Jane Doe the incidents were “not a big deal” and, too, suggested destroying the messages.

The student’s parents argued the unnamed former ninth grader’s behavior violated PCM’s anti-harassment/bullying policy. The plaintiff’s son is no longer a student in the PCM school district.

Attempts to contact Babcock and Chipps for a statement were not returned by presstime. The secretary for Babcock at PCM High School said the superintendent was out of the office last week.

The plaintifs filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission in June 2012, and in May 2013, the commission issued the parents a notice of right to sue on the basis of the alleged discrimination.

As the civil case progressed, lawyers for PCM entered a protective order assuring all confidential information given as part of the case discovery would be used only for intended purposes and not released publicly.

Since the suit was filed, PCM administration and district leaders have put in place a social emotional/behavioral goal area in conjunction with their Iowa Assessment outcomes. District officials said it’s meant to give public awareness to PCM’s anti-bullying policies and statistics. According to the district, 10 of the 25 investigated cases of bullying and harassment in the 2013-14 school year were deemed founded by the schools’ administration.