Acting On Behalf Of 15-Year-Old Zack Huston And His Mother, ACLU Demands Union-Scioto School District Update Anti-Bullying Policies Prior To Being Taken To Court; Anti-Gay Attack On Huston Captured On Cell-Phone Video

As one of four or five openly gay students at Unioto High School in rural Ross County, Zach Huston says he has experienced taunts and bullying for “being different.” The youth and his mother, Rebecca Collins, said their ongoing complaints about bullying to the school principal were met with indifference, including a comment that the district consists of “ Bible-beaters ... what can you expect?” What the 15-year-old sees as attacks based on his sexual preference culminated in violence on October 17, when he was beaten by another student as he walked into a classroom. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, now representing the youth and his mother, announced today it is giving the school district an opportunity to discuss changes to prevent bullying of students before it goes to court, reports The Columbus Dispatch. “The school had a responsibility to protect Zach, but looked the other way for over a year while he was verbally and physically bullied,” James L. Hardiman, ACLU of Ohio legal director, said Monday at a Downtown news conference. The ACLU is asking Union-Scioto schools to change its anti-bullying policy to specifically mention sexual orientation, increase its education of students and staff and take steps to protect students who report bullying from retaliation. Union-Scioto Superintendent Dwight Garrett could not be reached for comment. Unioto High School Principal James Obsorne said the school district is declining comment due to the threat of legal action by the ACLU of Ohio. The attack on Huston, which was captured on a cell-phone video that went viral on the Internet, prompted the Ross County prosecutor to charge the 15-year-old suspect, Levi Sever, with a delinquency count of assault. Prosecutor Matthew Schmidt said Sever admitted the assault in Juvenile Court, with authorities awaiting a pre-disposition investigation and victim-impact statement prior to sentencing. Huston said Sever has not returned to school since the attack. Huston said he was willing to come forward and speak about what occurred to him if it helps protect other gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender students from bullying. “I feel great to try to help other people,” he said. “You have to always be yourself and stand up for what you believe in.” State law requires schools to adopt policies prohibiting all bullying, but does not require districts to adopt language explicitly protecting students who are gay or lesbian. Some districts have adopted such language. The video captured national attention, prompting an online petition that has attracted more than 80,000 “signatures” asking the school district to protect LGBT students from bullying and expel Huston’s assailant. The school district initially suspended the beating suspect for three days, but later “ revisited” the discipline after the video surfaced. School officials have not specified what discipline the student received.