The family of a 16-year-old student who died by suicide in 2022 has filed a lawsuit against The Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland, claiming the private school failed to protect the teen despite knowing he had endured recent trauma, was repeatedly bullied and was demonstrating well-known signs of mental distress.
Dawn and Scott Schnell, of McLean, Virginia, the parents of Charlie Schnell, filed the suit Thursday in Montgomery County Circuit Court, naming the highly-ranked school, its headmaster and three other administrators as defendants.
The suit alleges the teen had transferred to Landon as a freshman, after enduring bullying at his previous school.
During his freshman year at Landon, he played football and lacrosse.
The suit details a series of traumatic events in his sophomore year, including the suicide of a classmate and close friend’s father, and the perceived threat of a fellow student to “shoot up” the school.
Schnell also suffered a concussion during wrestling practice, according to his parents’ lawsuit, filed by attorney Debra Soltis.
The 81-page suit cites an incident in the late fall of 2021, in which Charlie Schnell described himself as “tired,” “worried” and in “insane pain,” because of an ongoing tonsils ailment.
He also detailed his feelings and concerns about the potential of violence at Landon in an assignment, which was viewed by his English teacher.
I’m worried about the school shooting threats. I’ve run the scenario through my head and talked to my dad and advisor. They can’t even imagine because of the infrequency of school shootings at their age. If there were a shooting I wouldn’t want to run and leave all my friends but I also wouldn’t want to get shot so it’s very contradicting.
So right now I would sum everything up to being tired, in pain, hopeful and worried.
In March of 2022, less than six weeks after his concussion, the suit said the teen “made a mistake” and muttered a profanity under his breath at a coach during lacrosse practice.
As the school’s disciplinary committee deliberated about possible consequences for the lacrosse incident, the suit says a Black student at Landon, who was a friend of Charlie Schnell, reported to an administrator that Schnell, who was white, had shown him a racist picture.
By the next day, “rumors of the alleged drawing had spread like wildfire throughout the school (including to its faculty), and there was tangible and explicit animus as well as threats being expressed by Landon students” toward Schnell.
Schnell’s parents said the school hadn’t advised them of the allegation concerning the drawing, or growing anger against and ostracization of their son.
According to the suit, on March 27, 2022, Schnell, “who had just 13 days earlier been forced to withdraw from the Landon School, took down his Landon banner from above his bed, made it into a noose and hanged himself.”
The suit includes several studies that describe trauma, bullying and concussions as elements that raise the risk of suicide. In addition, the suit alleges the school didn’t have a written policy that bullying allegations required a prompt investigation, or effective suicide prevention or intervention programs.
WTOP contacted the Schnell family’s attorney’s office Friday, seeking an interview with the lawyer and the teen’s parents.
Attorney Debra Soltis said in a statement: “While nothing can bring Charlie back, the Schnells hope this lawsuit will bring greater awareness to the pervasiveness of bullying-related suicides, serve as a cautionary tale for other families and, in this era of a teen mental health crisis, spur schools to do their duty in recognizing and responding to student trauma and suicide risk factors.”
The Landon School issued a written statement to WTOP:
At Landon, we have no higher duty than supporting the well-being of our boys, a role we take very seriously. We continue to feel only compassion for the grief that this family is experiencing over the devastating loss of their son. And while we strongly disagree with the claims and characterizations made in their lawsuit, we will continue to navigate this situation with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.
If you or someone you know is going through a mental health crisis, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988Lifeline.org.
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