Salem-Keizer Public Schools filed a lawsuit Monday accusing the boy who was 12 years old at the time of the June 2016 vandalism — of causing up to $19,000 worth of damage.
OregonLive reported that, in a lawsuit filed Monday, Salem-Keizer Public Schools also sues the student, who was 12 years old at the time of the June 2016 vandalism. Such a lawsuit is unusual -- it's rare for a district to sue a student, let alone parents.
The district accuses the mother and stepfather of failing to "exercise reasonable control" over their son. The suit claims the boy had accumulated a dozen disciplinary marks at Crossler Middle School in the eight months leading up to the damage and at least two behavioral episodes prompted calls home.
The Oregonian/OregonLive isn’t identifying the boy because of his young age and the nature of the case. It also isn’t naming his parents, which would essentially identify the boy.
Reached by phone Tuesday, the boy's stepfather said he doesn't want to make excuses for his son because the boy caused damage. But he said several other students were in the classroom before his son who also should be on the hook for the bill.
He said his son was disciplined at home and by the school. Consequences included doing community service, missing playing in a championship immediately after the incident and being banned from another sports team about six months later.
According to the lawsuit, the boy and a friend started roaming the halls of the school, checking for unlocked classroom doors during a volleyball tournament. The two were able to get inside Room 106, a science classroom, and access a stash of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, iodine and food coloring, the suit states. They dumped the chemicals across the room, causing $19,293 in damage, according to the suit.
The lawsuit doesn't state if the district sought payment from the friend.
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