The Plano Police Department as well as the city’s Independent School District have announced they’re investigating a bullying complaint after the mother of a 13-year-old Black student alleged her son was forced to drink the urine of his White classmates during a sleepover.
Detailing the incident in a Facebook post, Summer Smith said her son, SeMarion Humphrey, was invited to a sleepover by his classmates at Haggard Middle School and was subjected to different forms of bullying during the period. She claimed that was not the first time SeMarion had been targeted and bullied by his classmates, adding that they purposely invited the teenager to the sleepover with the intention of victimizing him, CBS DFW reported.
“How horrible must you be. This is not a prank. This is beyond bullying. You are evil, they are evil,” Smith said during a news conference on Friday. Besides being allegedly forced to drink urine, Smith said SeMarion was also assaulted while he was sleeping, shot with BB guns and subjected to racial slurs. The students reportedly filmed the incidents.
Smith also accused the school authorities of not taking action to protect her son despite making previous bullying complaints. “When you say there’s nothing you can do, what do you mean exactly? Because it seems to me that there’s plenty you can do…” she said. “It was premeditated and obvious that SeMarion was only invited for their pure entertainment.”
The video of the incident in question was shared by the Next Generation Action Network, with the group claiming SeMarion was “tortured for days and forced to drink his white former teammates’ urine,” The Dallas Morning News reported. The group also criticized local officials for not taking the necessary action.
“We are calling for a federal investigation into this racially motivated hate crime,” the group said in a statement. The attorney for SeMarion’s family, Kim T. Cole, also told the news outlet she was gathering more video evidence.
“In my opinion, not only did they torture this kid, but they filmed it and were proud of it and shared it on multiple social media sites making fun of him,” Cole said, adding that there had been previous incidents involving SeMarion being bullied on campus, with his mother reaching out to authorities in the school to report them.
In a statement on Friday, the Plano Texas Police Department announced they had been made aware of the incident and they are working with the Plano Independent School District to get to the bottom of it.
“The Detective and School Resource Officer will continue to work with Plano ISD officials to conduct a full and thorough investigation in an effort to identify any and criminal offenses that might have occurred during and prior to this incident,” the statement said.
The Plano ISD also released a statement on Sunday saying they’re also looking into the incident.
“In recent days we have heard from people in and outside of our district, expressing their grave concerns over the allegations of racially motivated harassment and bullying involving Plano ISD students. The Plano ISD Board of Trustees stands united in the belief that no child should be victimized in any manner, nor be subject to any form of bullying, harassment or intolerance,” the statement said.
“The Board would like to reiterate the district’s dedication to caring for all students and staff members. With the recent off-campus incident at the forefront of our community’s concerns, please know that the Board maintains strict, legal policies that protect the welfare of our students, and that unequivocally prohibit bullying and harassment. Additionally, the Board stands firm against any acts of violence and racism, and believes that all children should feel safe, valued and respected.”
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe has been set up to help raise funds to cover therapy and private schooling costs for SeMarion. Over $60,000 has so far been raised.
