A lawsuit against the Bulloch County Schools over bullying and failure to adhere to county policies ultimately cost the school system more than $285,000 in settlements.
Background
The family of a Bulloch County student sued the Board of Education, then-Superintendent Charles Wilson, a principal, Chairman of the BOE Elizabeth Williams, and four John Does* after a bus incident.
On February 29, 2024, a 13-year-old Langston Chapel Middle School student was a passenger on a Bulloch County Schools (BCS) school bus when he jumped out of the emergency door while the bus was in motion “in an attempt to flee ongoing and continuous bullying.” He was injured as a result.
In the suit, the attorney for the family, Chris Gohagan of Taulbee, Rushing, Snipes, Marsh & Hodgin, said the named parties failed to address concerns about bullying brought forward by the parents and did not follow the discipline policies outlined in the Student Code of Conduct. He also alleged that the school system failed to adhere to a specialized plan developed for the student, which could have prevented the February 2024 incident from happening.
The suit also alleged that the student had been “continuously bullied by other BCS students for over one (1) years without any productive solution from BCS…The torment…included both physical and verbal assaults of the intimidating and demeaning nature.”
Among the incidents listed in the suit:
- The student was stabbed with a pencil by another student during his 6th grade year, resulting in a permanent scar
- Early in the school year in which the bus incident occurred, on September 18, 2023, the student attempted to jump out of the emergency window of his BCS bus to escape bullying from other students.
- On February 7, 2024, a few weeks before the suit-inducing incident, an incident occurred while the student was walking to the cafeteria, resulting in the student’s absence from school for two weeks.
- The Bulloch County School system had implemented an Individual Education Program (IEP) for the student just one week prior after a meeting with the parents and administrators. The result of the meeting was a determination that the student would be provided with ‘transportation support from transportation personnel to and from school,’ effective immediately, but the bullying continued, the suit alleged.
According to the Ante Litem notice filed with the lawsuit, the initial claim was for $1,500,000.
*The four John Does, according to the suit, were employees and/or contractors with the Bulloch County School System who were responsible for safe transportation and the operation of school buses.
More on the lawsuit filing here.
Lawsuit
In April 2025, the defendants filed a response to the lawsuit and claimed that the suit failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. They also said that no duty of care was breached. Additionally, the BOE argued that the minor student and his parents contributed to the damages and negligence and that there was an assumption of risk by the minor student when he intentionally jumped from the bus.
In February 2026, the Bulloch County Board of Education was dismissed as a party to the lawsuit. The lawsuit continued against the Bulloch County School District, Charles Wilson, BOE Chair Elizabeth Williams, Willie Robinson, and John Does 1-4.
Settlement Agreement
In June 2026, a proposed negotiated settlement was submitted for consideration by the Court and Judge Michael Muldrew subsequently approved the agreement.
By court order, the school system agreed to pay $265,202.47, which was ordered to be used to purchase a structured settlement annuity for the sole benefit of the minor child.
A structured settlement under Georgia law is a negotiated financial arrangement where a party receives compensation for personal injuries or sickness through periodic, scheduled payments over time rather than a single lump sum.
As a result, the school system will write a $265,202.47 check to New York Life Insurance Company and the company will make periodic payments to the minor child in the amount of $3,111.20 per month for 10 years, beginning on November 1, 2028 and ending on October 1, 2038.
$22,297.53 was also paid to the guardians of the minor child for medical expenses
TheGeorgiaVirtue submitted an Open Records Request to the Bulloch County School System regarding legal fees expended for the litigation as the school system did not rely on its local counsel for representation, but instead outsourced the matter to Drew Eckel & Farnham, LLP.
