McQuaid Jesuit sued in federal court, accused of sexual harassment and negligence

Lawsuit against McQuaid Jesuit centers on student who attempted suicide

Lawsuit against McQuaid Jesuit centers on student who attempted suicide

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Parents of a former student at McQuaid Jesuit are suing the school, alleging their son was bullied and the school was negligent. The student left the school because of the treatment spelled out in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit says after 12 months of harassment, the student attempted suicide twice in the school.

There are two main allegations.

  1. The student was treated differently based on the perception of his sexual orientation and gender identity.
  2. McQuaid didn’t protect the student when it learned the student was being harassed and bullied.

The lawsuit says McQuaid was “deliberately indifferent” to the treatment of the student by his classmates and that exacerbated what the lawsuit describes as a “disabling medical condition.”

The lawsuit says students “preyed upon and attacked” the student, and says McQuaid failed to respond.

“So the endgame for this lawsuit is for McQuaid to make some changes to the way it operates,” said J. Morgan Levy, the attorney for former McQuaid parents. “The endgame is to require them, to force them to take a look at the way they’re treating students or they’re allowing students to be treated.”

News10NBC emailed McQuaid Jesuit as soon as we learned about the lawsuit.

“We are aware of the lawsuit filed against McQuaid Jesuit, on behalf of a former student. Given that student information is protected from disclosure by law, we are unable to provide detailed commentary at this time,” the McQuaid statement says. “McQuaid Jesuit is guided by our values and our mission as a Jesuit institution and our top priority remains providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.”

The school also sent that statement out to families and parents of students at McQuaid Wednesday afternoon.

One of the most devastating parts of the lawsuit happened in May of 2023.

After an anxiety attack at school, the student called his parents to pick him up and then went to the nurse’s office where he was given medication prescribed by his doctor.

The lawsuit says the student was left alone to lie down in a darkened room and the parents called the school as they drove to McQuaid and told the school their son should not be left alone.

The lawsuit says he was checked on by the nurse and one administrator.

“And while (the father was) driving there and he was in the room by himself he attempted to kill himself with his McQuaid tie,” Levy said. “As a mom of many teenage boys, I cannot imagine what they must have felt like for those parents to be trying to get to the school as quickly as they can, knowing their son is experiencing suicidal ideation and not feeling like the school is taking it seriously.”

The student survived the attempts.

One of the things the lawsuit points out is the McQuaid Student Handbook. The lawsuit says the handbook devotes 1,400 words to its dress code and 441 words to its anti-harassment policy.