Mother of student stabbed 14 times sues Henry County school administrators
HENRY COUNTY, Ga. - Nine months after a brutal stabbing at a Henry County middle school, attorneys representing the student who was injured and her mother have filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against school officials.
The lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday, accuses four Ola Middle School administrators of negligence. Attorneys for Ashley Wilson said that negligence resulted in her daughter being stabbed at least 14 times on March 15.
"My child was attacked because they weren’t able to do what they were supposed to do," Wilson told FOX 5. "I want justice for my daughter, but I also want them to be held accountable so that this doesn’t happen to anybody else’s kid."
Wilson recalled the gut-wrenching sight of more than a dozen wounds covering her daughter’s body.
"Like everything just left me because I didn’t know what was going on … I didn’t know why my kid was covered in blood," she said.
Ashley Wilson
Authorities said it all started when a student with a sharp object approached the girl who was walking to her gym class. From there, a fight led to the stabbing. That student was later arrested and charged.
The complaint goes on to state that a school resource officer notified administrators about the student in possession of that weapon the day before and on the day of the attack.
"The administrators did nothing … no investigation, no administrative search, did not notify parents," Wilson’s attorney Andrew Gould told FOX 5.
(Courtesy of the family)
He said by not investigating that report of a threat, school officials violated school policy.
"Once they were notified about this dangerous weapon being on campus, they were supposed to act … but they didn’t, and that’s why we brought the lawsuit against administrators," Gould said.
State law grants immunity to school districts, but that immunity doesn’t always cover school employees. Wilson’s attorneys are seeking $3 million in damages, which includes coverage of her daughter’s medical bills.
Ola Middle School
In response to a request for comment about the lawsuit, a school spokesperson said: "Henry County Schools does not comment on open legal matters."
FOX 5 reached out to school officials to ask about the employment status of those four administrators named in the complaint. We’re still waiting to hear back.