An Ocala father and mother whose son committed suicide in April 2023, have filed a lawsuit against the Marion County School Board, alleging one of the child’s teachers “relentlessly publicly bullied” and humiliated him, called him “stupid,” and encouraged his classmates to ridicule him for months leading up to his death.
Attorneys representing Tyka Johnson and Louis Johnson, Jr., filed the lawsuit on behalf of their late son, Louis Johnson, III, in the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Marion County on Monday, April 21.
According to the lawsuit, while Johnson was a fifth grade student at Legacy Elementary School (8496 Juniper Road), he was “continuously, consistently and relentlessly publicly bullied” by his teacher, “Donna Marie White.”
The complaint alleges that White “constantly, consistently and relentlessly publicly humiliated” Johnson “in front of his peers,” calling him “stupid” and “ridiculing him in front of his classmates on several occasions over the span of months.”
The complaint also alleges that White would “recruit other students to ridicule” Johnson, asking those students to “agree with her comments” that he was “stupid” and “didn’t know anything.”
For at least three to four months prior to Johnson’s death, his parents claim the school and its administrators were aware of White’s behavior. They claim they complained to school officials and attempted to get the Marion County School Board to intervene by “requesting conferences with” the institution “to no avail.”
“Despite the Marion County School Board being aware of its agent and/or employee, Ms. White and Legacy Elementary’s actions and omissions and Plaintiff’s attempts to resolve this matter, Defendant Marion County School Board took no action,” reads a portion of the lawsuit.
Johnson’s parents say their son was bullied to the degree that it created “such mental distress that it manifested itself into physical distress, including thoughts of suicide, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, crying, nightmares, fear, anguish and embarrassment.” They claim their son “felt like there was no escaping the incessant and daily public humiliation bullying” by White.
The complaint alleges White engaged in an “open, notorious, and protracted pattern of bullying by systematically and chronically inflicting hurt and/or psychological distress on Louis Johnson, III, including but not limited to, unwanted and repeated verbal humiliation and insulting behavior, and encouraging other students to engage in the same behavior” against their son.
“Louis Johnson, III killed himself on April 27, 2023, after enduring months of bullying and public embarrassment caused by the defendant,” reads the complaint. Johnson used a fire arm to kill himself. After the shooting, he was taken to the hospital, where he passed away two days later.
The couple is seeking in excess of $75,000 in damages, exclusive of “interests, costs, or attorneys’ fees.”
The filing comes less than one week shy of the two-year anniversary of Johnson III’s death, who was 10 years old at the time of his passing.
In a GoFundMe post published shortly after his death, Johnson was described as having loved the beach, catching crabs, and cooking up TikTok recipes. The young child was an advocate for the homeless, with his family saying that he would stop and pray for every homeless person he came across.