Glastonbury athlete alleges negligence in taunting incident

Alex Wood, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·3 min read

Jun. 21—GLASTONBURY — The mother of a boy who was on the local high school's junior varsity lacrosse team is suing school officials here and in Westport on his behalf, saying they did nothing after players for Westport's Staples High School made "loud monkey noises" at him during a game in May.

The suit, filed in Hartford Superior Court by Torrington lawyer James F. Sullivan for the mother and son, says the 15-year-old boy suffered "severe emotional distress" as a result of the incident and "no longer wants anything to do with the lacrosse team."

The suit names as defendants Glastonbury and Staples high schools; the Glastonbury and Westport boards of education; Christopher Driscoll, Glastonbury High's JV lacrosse coach; and Trish Witkin, GHS's athletic director.

LAWSUIT

WHAT: The mother of a boy on the Glastonbury High School junior varsity lacrosse team has filed a lawsuit after she claims players for Westport's Staples High School made "loud monkey noises" at her son during a game in May.

DEFENDANTS: The lawsuit names as defendants Glastonbury and Staples high schools; the Glastonbury and Westport boards of education; Christopher Driscoll, Glastonbury High's JV lacrosse coach; and Trish Witkin, GHS athletic director.

COMMENT: Westport school superintendent says his school system has looked into the allegations in the lawsuit and found "no merit" to them.

It accuses all the defendants of negligently inflicting emotional distress on the boy.

The suit says the taunting occurred on May 10, when the Glastonbury team played Staples in Westport.

It says Staples players, on the field and on the sidelines, made the loud monkey noises at the 15-year-old whenever he was on the field.

The suit alleges that Driscoll never said anything to the Staples coach about the monkey noises, even at halftime.

When the boy returned to the field in the third quarter, it says, the Staples players resumed making the monkey noises, causing him to leave the field and sit on the bench. It says his coach again said nothing about the situation.

On the bus ride home, the boy sat alone in the back of the bus, and no one said anything to him, according to the lawsuit.

When his mother subsequently tried to contact Glastonbury High School, school Principal Nancy Bean, and School Superintendent Alan Bookman, she received no response, the lawsuit says.

The count naming Staples High and the Westport Board of Education as defendants doesn't allege that the boy or his mother complained to officials there. It alleges only that the Staples coach did nothing to stop his players from making the monkey noises.

Westport School Superintendent Thomas Scarice said in a statement, "We carefully reviewed this matter when it was brought to our attention, and we have determined that there is no merit to the allegations in the suit. We intend to vigorously defend the district in this lawsuit."

He said his school system takes "allegations of race-based harassment, discrimination, or other conduct extremely seriously. We stand ready to take action in response to any such conduct that has occurred in connection with our schools."

Glastonbury School Superintendent Alan Bookman was unavailable for comment.

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