From left, Mallory Grossman, Nigel Shelby and Gabriel Taye. (Family photo; Nigel Shelby; Courtesy of Cornelia Reynolds)
By Donna St. George, The Washington Post, November 10, 2023
Gabriel Taye was a slight boy who wore button-down shirts and neckties to his Cincinnati elementary school. Just 8 years old, he loved learning and made the honor roll. But other students often bullied him — punching, shoving and kicking him during incidents that dated back to first grade, according to court documents.
Third grade was the worst. One afternoon, a student knocked Gabriel to the floor in a school restroom, where he lay unconscious for seven minutes, according to a lawsuit the family filed. Others stepped over his body, some kicking him as they passed, a video recordingshows. The school told his mother he had fainted,the lawsuit said,and she kept him home for a day. When he returned, a classmate tried to flush Gabriel’s beloved Batman water bottle down atoilet.
Hours later, the child took his life.
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