Parents sue school over son's suicide

VALMEYER -- Parents of a high school student who killed himself last fall are blaming the district and its superintendent, claiming the schools chief's threats over a missing master key to the school tormented the boy into taking his life.

Brandon Williams' family filed the wrongful-death lawsuit late last month in Monroe County against the Valmeyer school district and Superintendent Brian Charron, accusing Charron of "extreme and outrageous conduct."

The suit, which seeks at least $50,000 in damages, claims Williams was a 15-year-old sophomore when he was aggressively threatened with felony charges, jail, expulsion and fines over a missing master key to the school.

After the third interrogation by Charron last October and being suspended, Williams shot himself at home and died the next day, according to the lawsuit.

"It's been a very, very tough ordeal for the entire family," said Stephen Buser, the attorney who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Stacey and Charles Williams.

Charron declined comment when reached by telephone Wednesday by The Associated Press. The district's attorney, John Kurowski, said only that "we're going to defend the case and go from there."

According to the lawsuit, Williams was among several students Charron interrogated about a missing master key that was being used to access a concession stand at the school after school hours. While questioning Williams, the suit claims, Charron threatened the teenager with a felony count, jail time, a $16,000 charge to replace the school's locks, suspension and eventual expulsion.

After the third interrogation Oct. 29, Williams admitted a role in having the key but insisted he didn't access school property -- a denial Charron didn't believe and countered by screaming in Williams' face, kicking a trash can across the room and pounding his fists on his desk, the lawsuit contends.

According to the lawsuit, Charron told Williams the other students interviewed already had said he participated in the concession stand break-in. Charron allegedly had called or was going to call the Valmeyer police if Williams didn't confess, calling the student "worthless" and a "liar."

The suit claims Charron told Williams' mother after the third interview with her son that her son had been suspended, with an expulsion hearing possible.

Williams went home that day "scared, humiliated, embarrassed and depressed," then shot himself after calling a friend about the day's ordeal, the lawsuit claims.

According to the lawsuit, Charron and Valmeyer School District 3 contributed to their son's death by causing him "severe emotional distress," and that the series of interrogations violated district policy by not properly involving them.