Davis School District reaches settlement with Tichenor-Cox family
Aug 8, 2023, 5:31 PM | Updated: 10:16 pm
FILE: A family photo shows Isabella “Izzy” Tichenor, who at 10 years old died by suicide over the second weekend in November, 2021, after her family says she was bullied. (Tichenor-Cox family)
(Tichenor-Cox family)
FARMINGTON, Utah — The Davis School District has announced a settlement with the family of 10-year-old Izzy Tichenor, a Black child with autism that died by suicide in 2021 after what her mother described as 10 weeks of bullying and abusive behavior at Foxboro Elementary School.
In a statement, the Davis School District announced they’d reached a settlement with the Tichenor family of $2 million. The family had asked for much more, $14 million in damages in a claim from November of last year.
In that claim, the Tichenor family said that Foxboro Elementary School was responsible for Izzy’s suicide because the school ignored the bullying and harassment.
A joint statement from the family and the district focused on what the district called its commitment to “making schools a safe and welcoming environment for all.”
Any form of racism, bigotry, discrimination, or harassment within our schools is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The district encourages anyone who observes a student or staff member being harassed or bullied to report it right away. Reports of bullying will be thoroughly documented, addressed promptly, and appropriate consequences will be administered.
The district’s statement continued by saying the district has made progress since the child’s death, but that there’s more work to be done.
At a family press conference Tuesday night in Draper, Brittany Tichenor-Cox, the mother of Izzy Tichenor, said the following: “Just because you win some money doesn’t compare to the child not being here.”
Along with the Tichenor settlement, Davis settles with other families
Along those lines, and on the same day, the Davis School District announced they’d settled another claim of racism with Nicole Seiger, Alonzo Liddell, Lisa Liddell, and Kimberly Olsen.
The second settlement was in the amount of $200,000.
According to The Standard-Examiner, Seiger, Alonzo and Lisa Liddell, and Olsen are the parents of three Black students that attended North Layton Jr. High School. The parents reportedly filed suit against the Davis School District and claimed their kids were dealing with racist taunts and other abuse in 2021, according to The Standard-Examiner.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call 988, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline or the Huntsman Mental Health Institute (1-801-583-2500).
Related:
- Davis School District explains how it’ll improve handling of racism investigations
- Davis district initiates new partnership in efforts against racism in schools
- Davis School District launches video series encouraging inclusivity
