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Mom files lawsuit in Indian child suicide outbreak

Gameface

Gameface

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By MATT VOLZ
Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The mother of a teenager who killed himself last year during a rash of child suicides on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation has filed a lawsuit against the school district and Montana.

Roxanne Gourneau, a judge in Fort Peck's tribal family court, claims school officials were negligent and are responsible for the death of her 17-year-old son, Dalton.

Dalton Gourneau's death in Wolf Point in November followed the suicides of five middle school students and 20 suicide attempts on the reservation. Tribal officials declared an emergency on the reservation and federal health officials were sent in to provide counseling.

In her lawsuit filed last month in state court, Roxanne Gourneau says the school district and the state were negligent and did not properly train school staff to handle crisis situations.

So far, no other parents or families have filed suit.


(Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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I'm thinking that if the school is considered negligent, how negligent must she have been?
 
wait...aren't Indian Reservations considered their own nation? How can she sue Montana. **** happened in a different country.
 
Millsapa said:
So, since she chose to send her kid to state schools they aren't responsible for the welfare of that child in their custody?
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Sure, against things like an unsafe stairwell that the child has to use to access the school, or against being beaten up or harassed by techers or students. The mom thinks the school should have realized the kid was suicidal and done something about it. I say that if the school should have known and taken action then the mom should also have known and taken action.
 
Gameface said:
Sure, against things like an unsafe stairwell that the child has to use to access the school, or against being beaten up or harassed by techers or students. The mom thinks the school should have realized the kid was suicidal and done something about it. I say that if the school should have known and taken action then the mom should also have known and taken action.
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You mean when she wasn't drunk playing the slots at the casino of course.
 
And fat chicks, don't forget the fat chicks
 
Gameface said:
Sure, against things like an unsafe stairwell that the child has to use to access the school, or against being beaten up or harassed by techers or students. The mom thinks the school should have realized the kid was suicidal and done something about it. I say that if the school should have known and taken action then the mom should also have known and taken action.
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This.

Since when are public schools and their employees required to function as fully licensed mental health professionals with the responsibility to fully diagnose and treat any and all mental disorders a particular child may have?

Lots of school age kids are moody, exhibit some behavioral issues, have times when they lash out or can't get along with other. They also laugh, cry, play, pout, often all in the same hour. Kids go through so much growing up that it is ludicrous to expect a school to assess every one of the 100, 500, or 1000 children in their care each day for any twinge of psychological issue. When it becomes evident, or is blatant and obvious (kid asks for help, kid becomes violent, etc.) schools will notify parents and take some action, but to expect them to recognize that quiet kid that keeps to himself at recess as suicidal and then be RESPONSIBLE for that suicide is just ridiculous.
 
TroutBum said:
How can you miss 'em?

Can we just lump black people, Mexicans, retards, gays, and gardeners in there too?

Thanks,

Trout.
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Don't forget lawyers...and the worst of all...insurance salesmen. *shudder*
 
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