Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District will pay nearly $1 million to settle a civil lawsuit alleging a female student suffered head injuries and emotional trauma after repeated bullying and assaults at a west Roseville school.
The lawsuit alleged staff at Creekview Ranch School, 8779 Cook Riolo Road, failed to properly supervise students and did not follow district policies addressing bullying.
The student, identified in the case as A.B., and her mother repeatedly reported bullying, threats and aggressive behavior by other students during the 2021-22 school year, according to the complaint. The suit, which was settled for $995,000, did not say what grade she was in at the TK-8 school.
During the 2021-22 school year, A.B., who was 13 at the time, was picking up a sticker from the floor when another student struck her in the face with a metal water bottle after she accidentally bumped into them, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit alleged school administrators told the student’s mother that A.B. had been hit with a plastic water bottle and that both students would serve detention.
A.B. served the detention, but the student accused of hitting her never did, according to the lawsuit.
In February 2022, A.B. began receiving threatening cyberbullying messages from another student. She also received messages containing slurs from an anonymous number.
According to the lawsuit, A.B. asked to change classes after the incident, but the school’s assistant principal said it was not possible.
Around the same time, A.B. was sitting in the cafeteria when a group of male students began throwing food at her and other students, the lawsuit said.
Later that month, a group of students allegedly attacked A.B., grabbing her and slamming her head into lockers.
The lawsuit alleged Creekview administrators were aware of the assault but did not complete an incident report or send A.B. to the school nurse. The incident also was not reported to her mother, according to the complaint.
Attorneys for the student said the bullying left A.B. with head trauma, concussion symptoms, double vision, post-concussion syndrome and emotional trauma. She eventually withdrew from the school.
Renee Balderas, a spokesperson for the district, said the district was limited in what it could say about the case.
“Because this matter involves a student and prior legal proceedings, we are limited in what we can share. Legal claims involving school districts are typically handled through the district’s insurer and legal process,” she said. “What we can say is that our schools take reports of bullying seriously and work with students, families and staff to address concerns and maintain safe, welcoming environments for every student.
A.B.’s attorney, Christa Ramey, said the settlement acknowledges the seriousness of what happened.
“Our goal in cases like this is not only to obtain justice for our client, but to ensure that schools take meaningful steps to protect current and future students from the same kind of harm,” she said.
Ramey said A.B., who is now 17, showed resilience throughout the case.
“We have represented A.B. since she was in eighth grade, and despite everything she endured, including threats that school officials failed to recognize or investigate, she remained incredibly brave and is now about to graduate with hopes of becoming a teacher,” she said.
“While this settlement acknowledges the seriousness of what happened and the lasting impact bullying and threats of violence can have on a child, what A.B. wanted most all along was to be heard and protected, something the school unfortunately failed to do.”
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Nicole Buss is The Sacramento Bee’s Roseville/Placer County watchdog reporter. She previously covered Placer County at Gold Country Media. Buss grew up in Lincoln and is a graduate of Sierra College and Arizona State University.