Nex Benedict’s OK School District Under Education Dept. Investigation
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The US Department of Education has launched an investigation into whether Oklahoma’s Owasso High School failed to respond adequately to sex-based harassment of transgender student Nex Benedict, who died aged 16. The school has been accused of violating Title IX, a civil rights law protecting against gender-based discrimination in federally-funded education programs, by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which had filed a complaint after Benedict’s death. Benedict died following a fight with three other students at the school, and the investigation will examine whether the school failed to respond appropriately to alleged harassment.
Education Department Investigates Alleged Sex-Based Harassment in Oklahoma School District
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating if the Oklahoma school district, attended by the late 16-year-old transgender student Nex Benedict, adequately responded to sex-based harassment claims, a letter obtained by NBC News reveals.
Addressed to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s leading LGBTQ rights organization, the letter acknowledges a complaint filed by the HRC following Benedict’s death on February 8.
Benedict passed away a day after a school bathroom altercation with three students at Owasso High School, stirring global media interest and LGBTQ advocacy condemnation.
The HRC urged the Department of Education to probe the district’s alleged failure to address discrimination and harassment against Nex. They questioned whether the district violated Title IX, a crucial civil rights law protecting individuals from gender-based discrimination in federally funded education programs.
Karen E. Mines, the Education Department’s chief attorney, announced the investigation in her letter to the HRC, noting allegations that the district neglected to adequately respond to known sex-based harassment at Owasso High School during the 2023-2024 school year.
Mines stated that the department will examine if the district failed to respond to alleged harassment “in a manner consistent with the requirements of Title IX.”
Owasso Public Schools’ spokesperson, Brock Crawford, dismissed the allegations in an email, ensuring district cooperation with federal officials and deeming the HRC’s complaint unfounded.
The cause of Benedict’s death remains undetermined, as does the role of the altercation with three other students.
In officer bodycam footage from February 7, Benedict can be heard explaining that he was attacked in the bathroom by three students. He claimed to have sprayed water on them in response to their bullying based on clothing preferences.
“Nex’s family, community, and the broader 2SLGBTQI+ community in Oklahoma are still awaiting answers following their tragic loss,” said Kelley Robinson, the HRC’s president, in a Friday statement. “We need the Department of Education’s urgent action for Nex’s justice and the safety of all students at Owasso High School from bullying, harassment, and discrimination.”
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