School punished black teen for fighting back against white student who sexually assaulted him: lawsuit

The school district in Lansing, Kansas is facing the second lawsuit in a week over failing to protect students from sexual and physical harassment, The Kansas City Starreports.

The latest lawsuit is from the parents of a black Lansing Middle School student, alleging physical and sexual assault by a white student.

The suit alleges that the white perpetrator groped the black victim's buttocks in study hall. The victim reported the incident to their teacher, who took no action.

Later the same day, the perpetrator allegedly grabbed the victim's penis, struck him in the head multiple times and gave him a bloody nose by kicking him in the face.

At this point, the victim claims he defended himself by punching the bully.

Officials at Lansing Schools USD 469 suspended the victim from riding the bus to school, while not punishing the perpetrator.

Principal Kerry Brungardt and Assistant Principal Brooks Jenkins only acknowledged the perpetrator was the aggressor after reviewing video from the bus.

"Plaintiff was treated less favorably in the way in which he was disciplined, questioned and blamed despite the student perpetrator being the aggressor, because of his race and furthermore plaintiff was treated less favorably as compared to the white student perpetrator," the suit alleges.

The victim's parents say the perpetrator had a "known history of bad behavior."

KCUR reports the lawsuit accuses the school of "racial animus ... directed towards African-American students," and school policy "permitting racially disparate treatment by employees upon students."

This was the second lawsuit recently filed against Lansing Schools USD 469. Last week, a female high school student filed a lawsuit accusing the district of assigning her to a homeroom teacher who had been place on suspension after allegedly sexually harassing the girl.

Principal Steve Dike and Superintendent Darrel Stufflebeam were also named in girl's lawsuit.

Both lawsuits were filed in federal court.