PSD, former principal sued
The suit claims the school district and former Cedartown High Principal Darrell Wetherington were negligent in responding to a student’s sexual harassment claims.
A lawsuit filed in federal court alleges the Polk County School District and former Cedartown High Principal Darrell Wetherington were negligent in responding to a student’s claims of being sexually harassed by a former boys’ basketball coach and had failed to protect her from being harassed while rumors about her spread.
The lawsuit was filed by Shana Lynn Abram’s attorneys Jan. 12, in U.S. District Court for the Northern Division of Georgia’s Rome Division. Abram left Cedartown High in August 2016, “to avoid the stigma, scapegoating, humiliation and embarrassment that she endured for the entire spring (2016) semester,” the lawsuit stated. She transferred to Rockmart High, where she graduated from last year. According to the lawsuit: From late December 2015 through Jan. 16, 2016, former Cedartown High boys’ basketball community coach Chris Careathers “engaged in a series of inappropriate and escalating actions of a sexual nature targeting the plaintiff,” who was a member of the girls’ basketball team at that time.
These alleged actions i ncluded Careathers kissing and attempting to fondle Abram, as well as requesting naked pictures from her, asking her for sex, and sending pornographic images and a video to her cellphone.
Careathers, 27 years old at the time, was arrested by Polk County deputies Feb. 26, 2016, and charged with felony electronically furnishing obscene materials to a minor and sexual exploitation of children. His arrest came just over a month after Abram’s parents reported the incident to school officials and then the Cedartown Police Department.
Head boys’ basketball coach Benji Frazier was present when some of the “inappropriate conversations” between Careathers, who he is related to, and Abram allegedly happened, but that he did not report the incidents.
The lawsuit also stated that Brandon Brown, another community boys’ basketball coach, had allegedly been in a sexual relationship with another girls’ basketball player during this time.
Additionally, members of Cedartown High’s administration knew of Careathers’ alleged actions as well.
During the district’s investigation, which Abram’s father had “demanded,” Wetherington — who resigned from his superintendent post last year amid a separate scandal — held interviews with other players on Abram’s team, asking them about her allegations but never explaining she was a victim.
“Wetherington conducted his interviews of the players so as to downplay the coaches’ responsibility and encourage retaliation by players against (Abram),” the lawsuit stated.
Rumors began to circulate that Abram was the girl who had a sexual relationship with Brown. Though administra- tors knew of this happening, they “did nothing to prevent or alleviate it or to mitigate the harm it caused” to Abram.
Careathers and Brown were fired and banned from attending the school’s sporting events. However, on at least two occasions after Abram transferred they attended Cedartown sporting events. These included at least one of them talking with Abram at an October 2016 event.
The district did not take action against Frazier. Throughout the rest of Abram’s time at Cedartown High, she came in contact with him at school, and on one occasion this led to her suffering an “emotional breakdown” following him trying to “make small talk” with her.
Laurie Atkins, the superintendent of Polk County School District, said Saturday, “We have no comment at this time because it’s concerned with personnel.”
Frazier said during a phone call Saturday that it was the first time he had heard of the lawsuit and he wasn’t going to talk about it until he knew more about what it claims.
Wetherington did not respond to a request for comment.