Report on Alleged Violations of Student Safety and Educational Standards at Wake Preparatory Academy

Introduction: Summary of Allegations and Relation to Sustainable Development Goals

A lawsuit filed in May in Franklin County Superior Court alleges significant failures at Wake Preparatory Academy that contravene core principles of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The family of a student has initiated legal action against a teacher, the school, and its parent company, Charter One LLC, citing negligence, corporal punishment, and hazing. These allegations represent serious deviations from the global commitment to provide safe, inclusive, and effective learning environments as outlined in SDG 4 (Quality Education) and to protect children from violence as mandated by SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

Incident 1: Physical Assault and Institutional Negligence

The lawsuit details a severe incident of student-on-student violence in February 2023, which highlights a failure to uphold SDG 4, Target 4.a, which calls for safe and non-violent learning environments for all children. The school’s subsequent actions allegedly exacerbated the situation, undermining the principles of institutional accountability central to SDG 16.

Sequence of Events

1. A teacher allegedly left a classroom of students unsupervised during dismissal.
2. A student was reportedly grabbed from behind by a classmate who attempted to slam their head into a desk.
3. Upon pulling away, the student was punched in the face and knocked to the ground.

Impact on Student Well-being and Institutional Response

The assault resulted in severe physical injuries, including a nasal fracture and a deviated septum requiring multiple surgeries. This outcome directly impacts SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by inflicting both physical and subsequent emotional trauma. The family claims the school administration refused to meet to discuss a safety plan or transfer the accused student, forcing the injured child to return to the same classroom. This lack of a protective response constitutes a failure of the institution’s duty to ensure a safe educational setting.

Incident 2: Allegations of Corporal Punishment and Hazing

In a separate incident, a teacher is accused of employing unlawful corporal punishment and hazing during detention, a direct violation of SDG 16.2, which seeks to end abuse, exploitation, and all forms of violence against and torture of children. These practices create a hostile and intimidating atmosphere, fundamentally undermining the goal of an inclusive and equitable education for all as envisioned in SDG 4.

Punishments Allegedly Used

• Forcing students to remain in a horizontal plank position for an extended period.
• Requiring students to perform wall squats.
• Making some students stand and face a wall for the entire detention period.
• Blasting “annoying music” and requiring students to sing it back.

The lawsuit claims the teacher, who also coached sports, disproportionately targeted student-athletes with these physical punishments in front of other students. When confronted, the teacher allegedly acknowledged giving the student “special detention with a smirk,” suggesting a deliberate and targeted action that violates principles of equality and justice.

Legal Action and Institutional Accountability

The family is seeking justice through the legal system, an action aligned with the principles of SDG 16, which promotes access to justice for all. The lawsuit accuses the school and its parent company of failing to provide a safe environment and the teacher of inflicting emotional distress.

Legal Claims

• Wake Preparatory Academy & Charter One LLC: Negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and violation of the constitutional duty to provide a safe learning environment.
• Teacher: Intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

The family is requesting a jury trial and an award in excess of $25,000 for each of the two incidents. The school’s parent company, Charter One, declined to comment, citing FERPA. This case follows a separate 2024 lawsuit against the school for negligence in a 2022 assault, which was settled, suggesting a potential pattern of challenges in upholding student safety standards.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  The article directly relates to SDG 4 as it centers on the failure of an educational institution to provide a safe and effective learning environment. The lawsuit claims a violation of the “constitutional duty to provide a safe environment where the student could learn and grow.” The student’s experience of violence, fear, and emotional distress fundamentally undermines the quality of their education.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  This goal is central to the article’s themes. It addresses violence against children, specifically through the physical assault by a classmate and the alleged “unlawful hazing and corporal punishment” by a teacher. Furthermore, it highlights the failure of an institution (the school) to be accountable and responsive, as they allegedly “refused to meet with them or transfer the classmate.” The family’s decision to file a lawsuit represents a pursuit of justice through legal channels.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  The article connects to SDG 3 through the severe physical and mental health consequences of the incidents. The student suffered a “nasal fracture and deviated septum which has required multiple surgeries” and continued to face “anxiety, emotional distress and fear of retaliation.” These outcomes are direct affronts to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 4.a: Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.
   • The article describes an environment that is the opposite of this target. The physical assault, which occurred after a teacher “left students unsupervised,” and the school’s refusal to implement a “safety plan” demonstrate a failure to provide a safe and non-violent learning environment.
2. Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.
   • The assault where the student was “punched in the face and knocked to the ground” is a clear example of the physical violence this target aims to reduce.
3. Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children.
   • This target is directly relevant. The lawsuit explicitly accuses the teacher of “unlawful hazing and corporal punishment.” The acts of forcing a student to hold a “horizontal plank position for an extended period of time” and do “wall squats” as punishment constitute forms of physical violence and abuse against a child.
4. Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.
   • The family’s action of filing a lawsuit and “requesting a jury trial” because the school was unresponsive to their complaints is a direct example of citizens accessing the justice system to seek remedy and hold an institution accountable.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Incidents of physical and psychological violence: The article provides specific examples that can be used as qualitative indicators.
   • The physical assault resulting in a “nasal fracture and deviated septum.”
   • The teacher’s use of physical punishments like “wall squats” and planking, which the lawsuit labels “corporal punishment.”
   • Psychological aggression, such as a teacher “blasting annoying music at them and requiring the students to sing it back to him.”
2. Student’s perception of safety and well-being: The article implies indicators related to the student’s mental and emotional state.
   • The student’s reported “anxiety, emotional distress and fear of retaliation” serves as a direct measure of an unsafe environment.
3. Institutional accountability and access to justice: The article points to indicators of institutional failure and the subsequent pursuit of justice.
   • The number of lawsuits filed against the school for negligence. The article mentions the current lawsuit and another one that was “settled in September 2024.”
   • The school’s refusal to meet with the family or create a “safety plan,” indicating a lack of responsive governance.

Summary of Findings

Source: wral.com