Staff Reports
The Texas school officials are under fire after claiming that a group of students who pulled a peanut prank on a fellow student are not guilty of bullying. Carter Mannon, a 15-year-old student at Lake Travis High School, found peanuts in his locker despite disclosing his severe allergy to his teammates. This peanut exposure caused him to break out in hives and resulted in his teammates sharing a video of the incident.
Student peanut prank on allergic teammate not deemed as ‘bullying’: School district https://t.co/pHniDghLqU https://t.co/pHniDghLqU
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) February 29, 2024
The school district responded to the incident by punishing the students involved with running exercises, but Mannon’s mother, Shawna Mannon, claimed that the harassment and bullying continued on an “almost daily” basis. It wasn’t until over a month after the incident that school officials began to investigate Mannon’s case, leaving many to question the school’s handling of the situation.
In a statement, the district claimed that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) reviewed the incident and found no violations of law or policy. Additionally, the Assistant District Attorney’s Office, the Travis County Attorney’s Office, and the district police department all concluded that criminal charges were not warranted. The case was closed less than a month later, on Dec. 6.
Mannon has since switched schools, and his mother plans to remove his other two siblings from the district, citing a lack of trust in the district’s ability to keep her children safe. The Texas Education Agency defines bullying as actions that create an intimidating, threatening, or abusive educational environment – a definition that seems to parallel the experiences of Carter Mannon.
It’s clear that the school officials’ response to this incident has left many feeling frustrated and concerned about the safety and well-being of students who may face similar situations in the future. Hopefully, this case will prompt the district to reevaluate its policies and take a stronger stance against bullying to ensure the safety of all students.
