The parents of a 15-year-old American boy who took his own life hours after being suspended from school over a sexual assault allegation are suing the institution for denying their son his constitutional right to due process.
Owen Poirier died on 16 October 2023 outside his family's business in Chazy, a town in upstate New York near the US-Canada border.
He had been sent home that day from Chazy Central Rural School after a 16-year-old girl alleged he had touched her inappropriately on a school bus on multiple occasions.
According to his family's account to The Free Press, Poirier was called into the office with Superintendent Stan Maziejka and Principal Krista Ringer to face the allegations but was not given the opportunity to defend himself, nor were his parents allowed to ask questions.
In tears during the meeting, Poirier denied any wrongdoing. "I'm done," he said to school officials. "I didn't do this," he told his parents when they arrived.
On the drive home, the teenager worried about missing his soccer team's championship game.
His parents, hoping to settle his mind, brought him to the family shop and gave him a task to keep him occupied.
His father, Chad, stepped away briefly, but when he returned, he found his son had died.
The family filed a 45-page federal lawsuit in March 2024, accusing the school and its officials of violating New York State law, which requires an informal conference to take place before a suspension in Title IX cases, giving the accused student and parents the right to question the allegations.
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That conference, the lawsuit alleges, never happened. "This case is about the failure of the defendants and their officials to investigate fully and fairly an accusation that resulted in defendants' reckless rush to judgment," the lawsuit states.
The family also alleged anti-male bias in how the school handled the complaint, arguing the institution favoured the female student under public pressure and imposed a "consequential, life-altering disciplinary sanction" without adequate investigation.
The school district, along with the superintendent and principal, denied wrongdoing, arguing that the death occurred off school property and that they bore no responsibility for it.
A judge has yet to determine whether the school district will be permitted to file a counter-suit against the family.
The school's superintendent later wrote in an email that the school had found no evidence of sexual assault, though the school's lawyer said the email was taken out of context.
Three years on, Poirier's mother Tammy disclosed that the family was still struggling.
Inside their home, which Poirier helped his father and brother build, his room remains set up as planned, with a Yankees pillow and blue walls.
"There was a vision, a future," she said. "That's all gone."
If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to a mental health professional or contact a crisis support line in your country.
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