The family of a young girl from South Carolina is suing her school district after bullying drove her to attempt suicide, leaving her with severe, life-changing injuries.
The heartbreaking story of 12-year-old Kelaia Turner began in August 2021, when she first told her teachers at Dr. Phinnize J. Fisher Middle School in Greenville County about classmates bullying her. Kelaia, just 11 at the time, endured relentless torment for over a year and a half. What’s worse, the lawsuit claims that some teachers even joined in or allowed the bullying to continue.
The family’s lawsuit, filed on November 12, accuses the school and nine staff members of gross negligence and reckless behavior, which they say led to Kelaia’s tragic suicide attempt in March 2023.
One shocking incident detailed in the lawsuit involved teacher Olivia Bennett. In December 2021, students in her class called Kelaia names like “a man” and “roach.” Instead of stopping them, the lawsuit claims Bennett encouraged the bullying by pointing to Kelaia when a student mockingly asked, “Where’s the roach?”
Kelaia’s mother, Ty Turner, shared even more details of the cruelty her daughter faced in an October 2024 Facebook post. She described how classmates repeatedly insulted her with names like “Mustache Face,” “Ugmo,” and “FatBlackUgly.” Another incident in May 2022 involved a group of students playing a racist song on YouTube during class, while the teacher, John Teer, reportedly did nothing to intervene.
The bullying wasn’t just verbal. According to the lawsuit, Kelaia endured physical abuse too. In one instance in October 2022, a student repeatedly shoved her. Despite Kelaia’s complaints, the school staff only asked her to report the next incident, without taking any real action. Things escalated further when her clothes were soaked with water, hung up, and thrown in the trash.
On March 17, 2023, the relentless bullying reached a tragic peak. Kelaia, then 12, attempted suicide by hanging. Her mother found her late that night. “She was cool to the touch, blood was coming out of her nose, and she had urinated on herself,” Ty Turner recalled in an interview. “She had already gone eight minutes without a pulse or heartbeat.” Paramedics managed to revive her, but she spent over 100 days in the hospital, including several weeks in a coma.
Today, Kelaia is alive but faces unimaginable challenges. She has severe brain damage, is nonverbal, and relies on a feeding tube and a tracheostomy to survive. Her parents, with the help of a part-time nurse, provide around-the-clock care. “It’s an absolute mountain,” her mother said.
Shockingly, even while Kelaia was in the hospital, some students snuck in to take photos of her unconscious state and posted them online to mock her further. Ty Turner only learned about this weeks later, after already filing a complaint with the school. The school admitted they had a “zero-tolerance policy for bullying” but claimed they had no way to enforce it.
The Turners are suing the school district and staff for damages, saying their failure to act led directly to Kelaia’s injuries and ongoing suffering. They hope to hold those responsible accountable for their negligence.
To help with Kelaia’s extensive medical and care expenses, her family started a GoFundMe page. The fundraiser has already exceeded its $15,000 goal, thanks to the kindness of supporters moved by Kelaia’s story.
This tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the devastating effects of bullying and the responsibility schools have to protect their students.
