A 12-year-old Florida girl attempted suicide by hanging herself 'in one of the bathrooms' at a Clay County elementary school she attends. Her father, Wendell Perez is now suing the school district naming several school district members including Superintendent Davis Broskie, Paterson Elementary School Principal John O'Brian, Assistant Principal Courtney Schumacher, and school counselor Destiney Washington.
According to DailyMail, the lawsuit alleged that the school counselor held meetings with the little girl about her apparent 'gender identity' crisis without informing the parents. The school counselor cited Perez's Catholic faith as the reason why his daughter didn't want him to know and they were trying to protect her 'confidentiality.'
The lawsuit further claimed that the school encouraged other students to refer to the girl as a boy and gave her a new name, without informing her parents. The identity changes escalated the bullying on the campus which led to the young girl attempting suicide twice in a row, on January 4 and 5, according to the lawsuit.
'Our faith is one of unconditional love for our children'
Perez called the situation a 'nightmare' and alleged that the school violated their fundamental rights 'by intentionally and recklessly withholding information' about their daughter's gender identity. He also added that his religious beliefs, which were cited as the reason behind withholding his daughter's gender identity issues had 'nothing to do with it.'
Perez told Action News Jax that he wasn't even sure that his daughter understood his faith, which showed her ignorance towards the same. "Our faith is one of unconditional love for our children," he said.
'Parents must be involved in these important decisions'
Perez's attorney Vernadette Broyles stressed the need to involve parents in such important decisions. She added that a child's gender identity issue is a 'serious mental health decision that school personnel are not qualified, not competent, and not authorized to make.'
The school, in a statement to DailyMail, stated that it had not been served any legal process as of Thursday. They added that after conducting an investigation into the incident they determined that 'the allegations made by this out-of-state organization are completely false to appear to be intended solely for the purpose of inciting the public.'
