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US News


US EDUCATION DEPT. OPENS PROBE INTO NONBINARY TEEN NEX BENEDICT’S OKLAHOMA
SCHOOL DISTRICT

By Katherine Donlevy

Published March 2, 2024, 12:16 a.m. ET

The US Education Department is launching an investigation into the Oklahoma
school district where a 16-year-old nonbinary student was beaten by bullies in a
bathroom one day before dying.

The probe was opened Friday following multiple complaints filed by the Human
Rights Campaign alleging that Owasso Public Schools had “failed to respond
appropriately to sex-based harassment that may have contributed to the tragic
death of Nex Benedict.”

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Nex, who used he/them pronouns, died Feb. 8, the day after getting into a fight
with a group of girls who allegedly smashed the teen’s head into the floor until
they blacked out.

In a video taken after the fight, the sophomore told a school resource officer
that the girls had been “antagonizing” them and their friends in the days before
over the way they dressed — bullying that the school allegedly knew about but
did not address.

5
The US Department of Education is launching a probe into the Oklahoma school
district where Nex Benedict was involved in a fight a day before their sudden
death. AP

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FIGHT HAS NOT BEEN RULED OUT AS CAUSE OF NONBINARY TEEN NEX BENEDICT’S DEATH:
REPORT

5
The probe was opened Friday following multiple complaints filed by the Human
Rights Campaign alleging that Owasso Public Schools had “failed to respond
appropriately to sex-based harassment that may have contributed to the tragic
death of Nex Benedict.” SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

“Their death is a gut-wrenching tragedy that exposes the chilling reality of
anti-transgender hatred spreading across the United States, and that the
Department must investigate as part of Owasso High School’s failure to address
harassment and discrimination on its campus beginning in the 2023 school year,”
HRC President Kelley Robinson wrote in a plea last week.

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“Schools have an obligation to provide equal educational opportunities,
including safe and affirming learning environments for the well-being of all
students. We are deeply concerned about the failure of Owasso High School to
address documented instances of bullying, violence, and harassment against Nex.”

The federal DOE notified the HRC Friday that it would be opening an
investigation into the complaint, and would be namely probing whether the school
district “failed to appropriately respond to alleged harassment of students”
within the requirements of Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act


SEE ALSO


OKLA. SCHOOLS CHIEF SAYS DEATH OF NONBINARY STUDENT NEX BENEDICT IS BEING
EXPLOITED BY ‘RADICAL LEFTISTS’

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Owasso Public Schools confirmed to The Post that they recieved a notice for the
investigation Friday.

“The district is committed to cooperating with federal officials and believes
the complaint submitted by HRC is not supported by the facts and is without
merit,” the district said in a statement.

Although an official autopsy report has not been released, officials said
preliminary results indicate Nex did not die from trauma, but have not yet ruled
out whether the bathroom brawl may have contributed to their death.

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From their hospital bed the day before their death, Nex recounted to an officer
the events leading up to the brawl, stating they had squirted water on the group
of girls because they were fed up with the bullying.

Friends and family of the teenager have since said the relentless tormenting Nex
faced because of their gender identity was an open secret at the school that
administrators and faculty allegedly turned a blind eye to.

Dozens of students and teachers walked out of Owasso High School last week to
protest the bullying of Nex and the school’s lack of response when it comes to
the mistreatment of students.

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5
Friends and family of the teenager have since said the relentless tormenting Nex
faced because of their gender identity was an open secret at the school that
administrators and faculty allegedly turned a blind eye to. Courtesy Benedict
Family
5
Dozens of students and teachers walked out of Owasso High School last week to
protest the bullying of Nex and the school’s lack of response when it comes to
the mistreatment of students. FOX 23
5
A “Justice 4 Nex” sign is held up outside during a walkout in by Owasso students
to honor Nex Benedict. FOX 23

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Nex’s family has opened their own investigation into the teen’s death, stating
they are seeking “to hold those responsible to account and to ensure it never
happens again.”

The family said some facts about the case have not been released and were
“troubling at least” – and called on “school, local, state and national
officials to join forces to determine why this happened.”


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Filed under department of education ,  investigations ,  lgbtq ,  oklahoma , 
3/2/24

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