School covered up bullying complaints of boy ridiculed for ‘looking like Jeffrey Dahmer’ before his suicide: lawsuit

The parents of a 10-year-old boy who hanged himself in May after “horrific bullying” are suing their son’s school, claiming staff covered up complaints and punished victims who spoke up about the issue.

The mom and dad of Sammy Tuesch, who killed himself at the family’s home in Greenfield, Ind., filed a wrongful-death lawsuit last week against the local school system for allegedly ignoring repeated complaints about their son’s torment at the hands of the other students.

The heartbroken parents of 10-year-old son Sammy Teusch say the boy killed himself over relentless bullying. Stillinger Family Funeral Home

Sammy’s classmates would call him “Dahmer,” saying the fourth-grader looked like serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, the suit says.

“When Sammy complained to his teacher, her only response was that, in her opinion,  Sammy did somewhat resemble Jeffrey Dahmer,” the lawsuit reads.

Sam and Nicci Teusch are suing their son’s school district for allegedly ignoring their bullying complaints. WTHR 13News
This Teusch family portrait was taken after Sammy’s death. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The school even threatened to punish Sammy when he sought help, his father, Sam Tuesch, told The Post.

“Someone hit Sammy with an iPad, broke his glasses, cut his eye, but he got kicked off the bus,” the dad said. “At that point, he stopped talking to us about it. The main thing he was concerned about was getting in trouble at school, so he didn’t fight back.”

The lawsuit alleges that teachers and staff of Greenfield’s Weston Elementary turned a blind eye to months of verbal and physical abuse endured by the child, who was mocked for his glasses and teeth and even urged to hang himself.

“Sammy told me this a million times: ‘Daddy, they aren’t listening to me at school. They are not listening to me,’ ” Teusch said.

Tuesch said Sammy lived in a stable home with his three sisters. The dad said he and his wife Nicci begged the school to protect their son, but despite staff assuring them they would “take care of it,” there are no official records of their complaints – nor from other parents who told the couple they also griped to the school about bullying.

Sammy at one point showed the bruises he received allegedly at the hands of other students. WTHR 13News
The young boy was afraid to fight back because he thought he’d get into trouble, his dad said. Gofundme

“Other parents have sent me messages saying their kids were bullied, too, and they also complained, but in the two years that Sammy was there, there has never been another report of bullying from anyone. It is truly insane,” Teusch said.

Teusch said he believes that Sammy’s death was the product of a vast culture of unchecked bullying in which teachers and staff are too scared to confront bullies and parents are kept in the dark.

Sammy was mocked over his glasses and teeth and called “Dahmer” because his tormentors said he looked like serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Nicole Teusch/Facebook

“We have no transparency, as parents. We don’t know what’s going on with a lot of the stuff in the schools now. We have to change the way this is,” Teusch said.

Teusch believes woke toothless enforcement standards have made school staff terrified of punishing cruel students and enforcing so-called “zero tolerance” bullying policies.

The child had asked teachers for protection but was threatened with punishment, his parents said. Nicole Teusch/Facebook

Teusch has spent the months since his son’s death advocating against bullying and sharing his son’s story. He and his wife launched the Sammy’s Tree foundation for bullying victims and are consulting for an upcoming film based on Sammy’s story.

But he said people are punished for even talking about the violence and self-harm. Bullying is the second leading cause of death for children 10 to 14, according to the CDC.

“TikTok has banned me, Facebook has banned me, for even saying the word ‘suicide.’ We have to acknowledge the problem, not just set it aside,” the dad said.

The Teuschs filed their lawsuit Tuesday against the Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation and the Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation Board of Trustees in Hancock County Circuit Court.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.