High school hockey players ‘incessantly’ bullied, sexually harassed teammate, suit says
A student athlete was “incessantly” bullied and sexually harassed by his hockey teammates for months at a Catholic high school in Illinois, according to a lawsuit.
His parents reported the physical and verbal abuse of their son more than 50 times to those in charge at Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox — but the school didn’t intervene, the lawsuit filed Dec. 28 said.
Instead, school officials are accused of characterizing the hockey players’ actions toward their son as “chirping,” not bullying.
The bullying and harassment lasted until Dec. 16, 2022, according to the suit, which says the student attempted suicide two days later.
He spent a week in the hospital and continues to receive mental health care, a complaint says.
The former student and his father are suing Providence Catholic High School and its officials for $1 million in damages.
“We want just compensation for the damages/injuries these defendants have caused to my clients,” attorney Steven Glink, who’s representing the student and father, told McClatchy News in a statement on Jan. 5.
The lawsuit names The Augustinian Order, which oversees school operations, school administrators, including president Fr. John Merkelis, the head of the boys hockey team and coaches as defendants, accusing them of breach of contract and negligence.
In a statement provided to McClatchy News on Jan. 5, Merkelis said “we were saddened to learn that a lawsuit was recently filed against Providence by a former student and his father regarding allegations of misconduct related to our hockey program.”
“While we cannot comment on pending litigation, I wish to assure all in the community that if an investigation reveals that any student is subject to harassment, Providence will take swift action to ensure it stops and immediately discipline all wrongdoers,” Merkelis added.
Lawsuit details ‘severe and pervasive’ mistreatment
Providence Catholic High School’s student handbook has a zero tolerance policy on harassment, bullying and cyberbullying.
Students who engage in this behavior “will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action,” the handbook says.
For more than five months, the former student athlete, who wasn’t identified in the suit, was repeatedly harassed, verbally and physically, by his teammates, according to the complaint.
His teammates would blame the student when the team performed poorly during games, made fun of his injuries and would constantly push and shove him, the complaint says.
“At one point somebody tried to put their hands down his pants and they rubbed his backside,” Glink told NBC Chicago. “There was name calling, blaming him for poor play.”
His teammates would also tell him “he had ‘a nice ---’” and faked urinating on his bag “several times in the same day in front of the entire hockey team, who all laughed,” the complaint says.
Despite knowing about the harassment, which the complaint says was “severe and pervasive,” the school is accused of not protecting the student.
None of the hockey players accused of bullying were suspended or expelled, according to the complaint.
“We hope this lawsuit serves as a wakeup call to all of these defendants and to public and parochial schools everywhere that when kids complain to school authorities that they are being bullied, the school authorities better take it seriously and take proper action against the bullies,” Glink told McClatchy News.
In addition to seeking $1 million in damages, the suit asks the court to award the plaintiffs $65,000 to cover Providence Catholic High School tuition and other contributions the former student’s family made to the school.
The student lost his “ability to obtain an education at PCHS,” the complaint says.
He and his father “have lost $65,000.00 in payments for tuition, books and other school related expenses and have lost admissions opportunities at other schools. Furthermore, (the former student) has sustained severe emotional distress because of defendants’ inaction,” the complaint continues.
New Lenox is a village 40 miles southwest of Chicago.
This story was originally published January 5, 2024 at 12:24 PM with the headline "High school hockey players ‘incessantly’ bullied, sexually harassed teammate, suit says."
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