LOS ANGELES– The parents of a 12 year old boy who was asked by educators to buy drugs from another student are suing the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, alleges that educators at George K. Porter Middle School gave the boy cash and told him to buy drugs from a student they suspected was a drug dealer, even though the sting was not sanctioned by the police.
The sting was enacted on February 18th 2009, after the 12 year old boy told school administrators that a 14 year old, who was possibly a gang member, was selling marijuana on campus, the lawsuit states.
As a result of the sting, the child was ostracized, threatened and harassed, according to the family attorney.
“The kid is extremely scared,” said attorney Alexander Gerard Calfo. “He is now known as the snitch. The family was active in the community, now everything has changed.”
The L.A.U.S.D. has not yet released any comment.
The three school administrators who asked the boy to buy the drugs have been removed from their positions, but it is unclear if they had been fired.
Police had investigated the case and presented their findings to the district attorney’s office, which on March 17, declined to press charges.
Asking a minor to buy drugs is a felony, Calfo said.
The damages the lawsuit is seeking were unspecified
Filed under: Civil Liberties, Drugs, Education Industrial Complex, Prison Industrial Complex Tagged: | Alexander Gerard Calfo, child abuse, civil rights, Educators for Sensible Drug Policy, George K. Porter Middle School, human rights, Los Angeles District Attorney, Los Angeles Unified School District, Prohibition, War on Drugs, youth
