Lawsuit claims WCSD didn’t address bullying that led to 12-year-old student’s suicide

Reporting by Mark Robison, Reno Gazette Journal 

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, for free and confidential support.

The parents of a 12-year-old Spanish Springs boy who committed suicide filed a lawsuit this week against the Washoe County School District over its response to bullying against their son.

Kellen Schatz, who is named in the lawsuit, died Nov. 18, 2024, after locking himself in his bedroom and hanging himself, according to court documents.

The lawsuit paints a picture of bullying and frequent fights among students, with administrators and staff doing little to address the issues. It even claims teachers acknowledge nothing will be done over reports of bullying.

The school district, Sky Ranch Middle School, and Shaw Middle School “have a practice of concealing, failing to document or report and intentionally under-reporting incidents of bullying due to the amount of work and time required for the investigations,” the 56-page lawsuit filed in Washoe County District Court says.

A separate lawsuit names the Sparks Police Department, the city of Sparks, and REMSA over a delay in addressing mother Sara Tolliver’s frantic 911 call that her son was locked in his bedroom and not responding.

Kellen Schatz (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

Officers “demanded that Sara answer questions for over eight minutes because they did not believe that her situation was critical, and therefore caused the delay that would have saved Kellen’s life,” it claims.

The city of Sparks said it could not comment on pending litigation.

“The Washoe County School District is saddened by the death of any of our students,” a district spokesperson said in a statement. “The safety and security of our students and staff is always our highest priority. WCSD has not been served with any lawsuits related to this matter, and it would be inappropriate to comment on a lawsuit or allegations that we have not seen.”

Boy bullied over birthmark and ears, suit says

Kellen was born with a large birthmark on his face and protruding ears. Bullies taunted him with the name “monkey boy,” among other insults, the lawsuit says.

He was taunted and subjected to physical threats while in sixth grade at Sky Ranch Middle School in Sparks, the lawsuit alleges, but the problem escalated when he was transferred to Shaw in Spanish Springs because of rezoning.

“Kellen found an even more toxic environment at Shaw than at Sky Ranch,” it says, “including but not limited to regular violent fights between classmates, on the grounds and even in the classrooms, including fights between boys, between girls, inter-gender bouts, and two or three vs. one fights, filmed and shared amongst the student population; and persistent bullying.”

Five students, identified by their initials in the legal filing, are claimed to have been the worst, most pervasive bullies.

One of the alleged bullies is said to have picked on kids at other schools before being expelled and transferred by the district to Shaw.

The lawsuit claims this particular boy had brought a gun on a school bus, stolen cars, was sent to juvenile detention, wore an ankle monitor and was required to use a clear backpack at school.

Pattern of not addressing bullies in Washoe County School District alleged

When Kellen and a friend finally reported the bullying to the school, the lawsuit alleges, they received no help.

It says the criteria for bullying complaints was not followed, no investigation was conducted and the parents were not contacted.

“When Kellen’s mother, Sara, pressed WCSD officials regarding (the main bully’s) dangerous propensity and his violence and bullying towards Kellen,” the lawsuit claims, “the WCSD brushed off her concerns and stated that ‘he has just as much a right to education as your son.’”

The lawsuit claims that now-former Shaw Principal Kimberly Crowley acknowledged in January 2024 that she “did not have a sufficient operating budget to respond to the daily discipline issues.”

It adds that bullying incidents are often concealed from parents and not documented.

“District officials have weaponized privacy, which they use as a reason to rebuff parental inquiries about dangerous classmates,” the lawsuit claims.

“The WCSD’s deliberate indifference is so well-known that several of Kellen’s teachers that were aware that Kellen was being bullied have stated that they believed that the school and the WCSD would not do anything to address the bullying.”

In seeking damages from the district, the lawsuit argues that by failing to investigate the incidents of bullying, identify those involved and discipline them in a meaningful way, school officials encouraged and empowered those harassing Kellen to continue.

“This also sent the message to Kellen that he was on his own and without any meaningful resource to rely on for protection,” it says. “This realization may have been the final straw, leading Kellen to take his own life.”

The bullying continues to this day, plaintiffs allege.

“Kellen’s classmates did not and do not want their names mentioned in the lawsuit,” the lawsuit says, “because they are scared of retaliation from the bullies.”

Comments from Kellen’s parents

The lawsuit was filed by attorneys with the Las Vegas-based Pacific West Injury Law.

Attorney Kirill Mikhaylov said the case is about accountability and protecting children.

“Kellen’s parents entrusted both the school system and first responders,” he said in a statement. “That trust was betrayed. No family should have to experience this level of loss because of inaction.”

Kellen’s father, Christopher Schatz, said he feels empty with Kellen gone.

“As tragic as this is,” he said in a statement, “I can only hope that by keeping Kellen’s voice alive, other students might be spared from making a decision that can never be taken back.”

Tolliver, Kellen’s mom, urged people to check on even their happy friends because they might be hurting on the inside.

“Have age-appropriate conversations with your children about suicide and the finality of it,” she said in a statement. “There are a hundred things I would do differently if I had the chance; this was simply something I never expected to happen.

“Kellen was such a special person and knowing that I will never see his smile or hear his funny stories again is a kind of pain I would not wish on any parent. He could have never imagined how deeply his loss would affect those who loved him.”

Mark Robison is the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, with occasional forays into other topics. Email comments to [email protected] or comment on Mark’s Greater Reno Facebook page.

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