Police officials and the Plano Independent School District of Plano, Texas, are investigating allegations made by a Black middle school student and his family involving bullying, racism and unbelievable cruelty. The family alleges that a group of students at Haggard Middle School invited 13-year-old SeMarion Humphrey to a sleepover, only to force him to drink the urine of another child while students laughed at him. SeMarion’s mother detailed her son’s experience in a Facebook post accompanied by video footage of the alleged incident.
CBS 21 reports that Summer Smith, SeMarion’s mother, said she had been reporting incidents of bullying her son suffered to the school for months. She believes that her son was invited to the sleepover for the sole purpose of bullying him. During a news conference, she said it was “premeditated and it was obvious that SeMarion was only invited for their pure entertainment.”
“Imagine your classmates and football team members turning on you and targeting you,” Smith wrote in the Facebook post that sparked the investigation. “Imagine being forced to drink the urine of not only a boy who thought was your friend, but his friends. Imagine the video of you drinking the urine being sent to multiple people in your school.”
“Imagine being forced to drink the urine of not only a boy who thought was your friend, but his friends,” the post continued. “Imagine the video of you drinking the urine being sent to multiple people in your school...Imagine the school telling you they can’t do a thing about it because ‘the incidents didn’t all take place on campus. My son doesn’t have to imagine these things, they are all his reality.”
In the video footage attached to the post, a white child can be seen holding a cup filled with yellow liquid up to SeMarion’s mouth as he drinks and laughter is heard in the background.
Smith said that her son had only befriended the unidentified student who invited him to the sleepover a month prior and that he had been shot with BB guns, hit while he was sleeping and called racial slurs that night as well.
From CBS:
“How horrible must you be. This is not a prank. This is beyond bullying. You are evil, they are evil,” Smith said about the accused students during a news conference Friday.
The mother said Humphrey has been harassed, degraded and physically and mentally tortured by students at his school. But despite making reports, she said she didn’t receive help from staff.
“When you say there’s nothing you can do, what do you mean exactly? Because it seems to me that there’s plenty you can do…” Smith said. “It was premeditated and obvious that SeMarion was only invited for their pure entertainment.”
Police said they will conduct a full investigation to identify any criminal offenses. The school district is also investigating.
Plano ISD has not yet responded to questions about why action wasn’t taken earlier.
In an updated statement Friday evening, the district said, in part: “Due to legal restrictions regarding the confidentiality of student information, Plano ISD is unable to release specific student information, but it can confirm appropriate measures were promptly taken to protect the victim and to investigate the allegations. Plano ISD does not condone bullying, harassment, and/or threats against any student. It is the District’s hope and expectation that all parties work collaboratively to create a climate of mutual respect even in the midst of disagreement.”
Protesters gathered in front of the school Friday to demand justice and condemn the school’s inaction in handling, not just the incident itself, but the numerous complaints leading up to the incident regarding bullying that had been happening to SeMarion for over a year, according to Smith.
According to NBC News, Plano ISD claimed that it was made aware of the allegations last Tuesday “and is working with the campus and local law enforcement to actively investigate the matter.”
“Our district does not tolerate or condone bullying or harassing behavior, and is taking prompt and remedial action to address concerns,” the district said in a statement.