TAMPA, Fla., April 13 (UPI) -- The parents of a 13-year-old Florida girl who committed suicide in 2009 have filed a federal lawsuit against the Hillsborough County School Board.
The suit by the parents of Hope Witsell accuses school officials of failing to take proper steps after learning Hope showed signs of being suicidal, the St. Petersburg Times reported Wednesday.
The day before she died, Hope met with a social worker at Beth Shields Middle School in Ruskin, Fla., who had her sign a contract promising not to end her life, the lawsuit said.
Prior to her death, the teen had sent a topless photo of herself to a boy she liked and the photo spread throughout the school community.
Witsell was picked on and bullied for months afterward.
Linda Cobbe, a spokeswoman for the school district, said the district would not comment on pending litigation.
