A Target on Carter’s Back
Following the incident, Shawna says someone put a peanut butter granola bar in Carters’ backpack, and students mocked her daughter, who is a senior at the school. Other students accused the family of “ruining football season,” while further taunting of Carter continued almost daily.
But remember, according to the school district, the legal elements of bullying were not met in this case. A kid just feared for his life, the victim and his sister were repeatedly targeted, and a family was left navigating a horribly negative circumstance they were unwillingly thrown into without any authoritative support.
“This wasn’t handled well enough in the beginning to send a clear statement to these kids,” Shawna says. “It did not deter them.”
Shawna has since submitted a complaint to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. The family’s attorney will assist in the next step of investigation.
The family is selling their home so that Carter and his younger sister can attend school in another district. The older sister is set to graduate from Lake Travis High School this spring.
“I hope the school continues educating students and faculty about food allergies … weaponizing someone’s allergy should be criminal, just like poisoning or attacking with a deadly weapon,” says Shawna. “This is as fatal to Carter as a gunshot.”
According to the advocacy group Food Allergy Research & Education, approximately one-third of children with food allergies say they have been bullied for their condition.
“We all just want our kids to be safe,” Shawna says. “We want kids to learn hard lessons so they don’t do it in college or after, when the consequences can be so much greater.”
