Parent files lawsuit against Freeburg High School District over son’s hazing

A mother of a Freeburg Community High School student has filed a lawsuit against the school district, alleging her son, a freshman soccer player at the school at the time, was hazed by fellow team members.

Katrina Fenner filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District in East St. Louis earlier this month. The suit alleges District 77 failed to properly investigate the incident, which included continuing harassment of her son afterward on social media.

The lawsuit also alleges the school district attempted to conceal the incident, which reportedly occurred on Sept. 5, 2014. Fenner claims her son has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, suffers from fear, anxiety and depression and has problems sleeping.

The suit names Superintendent Andrew Lehman and coach Natalie Rushing as defendants. Neither could be reached at school Thursday for comment.

In a letter to parents dated Sept. 11, 2014, Rushing confirmed that an incident of hazing took place among members of the soccer team.

“On 9/5/14, we had an issue with “freshman initiation.” Please know that steps have been taken so there are no further issues in the future. Safety of players is an utmost concern. Also, please know that the (Freeburg Community High School) administration has met with all involved and has issued consequences,” Rushing wrote. The letter did not elaborate on the consequences.

“We have high expectations of our players and we expect the rest of the season to be focused on playing soccer,” Rushing wrote.

The letter was released to the Belleville News-Democrat under a Freedom of Information Act request.

The suit seeks unspecified compensatory damages.

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Parent files lawsuit against Freeburg High School District over son’s hazing."