An 11-year-old boy tragically took his own life after he was allegedly bullied by a female teacher who repeatedly called him ‘stupid,’ according to a new lawsuit.
Louis Johnson used a firearm to kill himself on April 27, 2023 ‘after enduring months of bullying and public embarrassment’ at the hands of former fifth grade teacher Donna White, the lawsuit, reviewed by DailyMail.com stated.
He was rushed to the hospital, but sadly died two days later, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
According to court documents, White, who taught at Legacy Elementary School in Ocala – about an hour outside of Orlando – also told Johnson he ‘didn’t know anything’ and persistently ‘ridiculed him in front of his classmates’ for months on end.
She would also ‘recruit other students’ to join in on the alleged bullying and ‘ask other minor student classmates to agree’ with her cruel comments about Johnson, the legal filing continued.
Johnson’s parents, Tyka and Louis Johnson Sr., alleged that Marion County School Board ‘allowed’ White to continue these alleged actions for ‘at least 3-4 months prior to his death’ despite being made aware of the ongoing situation, the lawsuit stated.
Both Tyka and Louis complained directly to the school district about what their son was allegedly going through, but the district and school did not work with them to set up meetings and ‘took no action,’ per court documents.
Because of what Johnson allegedly endured from his teacher and classmates at school, he suffered severe mental distress that ‘manifested itself into physical distress,’ including suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, crying, sleeplessness, nightmares, embarrassment, anguish and fear, the lawsuit detailed.
Louis Johnson, 11, used a firearm to kill himself on April 27, 2023 ‘after enduring months of bullying and public embarrassment’ at the hands of former fifth grade teacher Donna White, according to the lawsuit
According to court documents, White, who taught at Legacy Elementary School (pictured) in Ocala also told Johnson he ‘didn’t know anything’ and persistently ‘ridiculed him in front of his classmates’ for months on end
He soon ‘felt like there was no escaping the incessant and daily public humiliation’ brought on by White and the school district, the complaint added.
The lawsuit alleged White engaged in ‘open, notorious, and protected pattern of bullying by systematically and chronically inflicting hurt and/or physical distress’ on Johnson through ‘unwanted and repeated verbal humiliation and insulting behavior, and encouraging other students to engage in the same behavior’ against the child.
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Shortly after he took his life, Johnson’s parents drew up ‘Suicide Prevention’ flyers that detail what happened to their son and name the accused teacher as ‘Dawn White.’
She was named only as Donna White or Ms. White in the lawsuit.
Johnson’s parents are demanding $75,000 in damages in the wrongful death lawsuit, including funeral cost for their son, attorney’s fees and for their ‘mental pain and suffering,’ the lawsuit said.
The couple have also requested a jury trial.
DailyMail.com contacted the family’s lawyers and Marion County School Board for comment.
Johnson’s father told detectives at the time that he took his son to work with him that day, and once they got home after his shift he placed several items, including the 9mm handgun, on the counter.
He was rushed to the hospital, but sadly died two days later
Shortly after he took his life, Johnson’s parents drew up ‘Suicide Prevention’ flyers that detail what happened to their son and name the accused teacher as ‘Dawn White’
Johnson’s parents are demanding $75,000 in damages in the wrongful death lawsuit
His dad said he would normally lock it away in a safe, but on that day he went outside to check on his truck.
During that time, Johnson picked up the firearm and fatally shot himself.
A GoFundMe page was created in honor of Johnson, who was the youngest of four siblings.
He’s been remembered as someone who was ‘so full of potential and promise,’ the page stated.
In his free time, Johnson loved to catch crabs, make recipes he found on TikTok, go to the beach, ‘and was a huge advocate for the homeless.’
‘If he saw a homeless person, he immediately said “dad, we gotta pray for that person”,’ the page read.
As of Monday morning, more than $20,500 was raised to help his family.
Soon after Johnson killed himself, the school district decided not to renew White’s contract following an investigation, the Ocala StarBanner reported.
The Marion County School Board found that her alleged actions violated the district’s anti-harassment policy and two counts of the Principals of Professional Conduct for the Educational Profession, per the outlet.
He’s been remembered as someone who was ‘so full of potential and promise’
In his free time, Johnson (pictured with a family member) loved to catch crabs, make recopies he found on TikTok, go to the beach, ‘and was a huge advocate for the homeless’
She was initially suspended for five days pending the completion of the investigation.
According to the outlet, White had one previous disciplinary infraction on her record prior to Johnson’s death.
It involved a verbal reprimand for an action not related to students, per school officials.
White was first employed by the school district in 2009 at Legacy Elementary School, where she worked as an extended day leader.
From 2012 to 2014, she was a paraprofessional at College Park and Maplewood Elementary Schools.
She then went back to Legacy and worked as a fourth grade teacher before moving on to teach fifth grade in 2021 at Belleview Elementary.
White soon returned back to Legacy in 2022, the outlet reported.