By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
A federal civil rights lawsuit accusing the Iron County School District of failing to protect a student from prolonged bullying is now pending in federal court.
The case was filed Jan. 13 in Iron County’s 5th District Court and transferred the following day after the district invoked federal jurisdiction. The district is the only defendant named.
The lawsuit was brought by David and Sameeta Cowley on behalf of their minor daughter, a former Cedar High School student who was later withdrawn from in-person classes. The complaint alleges school officials were repeatedly notified of harassment but failed to intervene or implement required safety measures.
Court filings indicate the events began in the spring of 2024, when the student was a sophomore at Cedar High School. What started as conflict between two students escalated into racially charged electronic messages that allegedly caused significant emotional distress.
After receiving the messages, the student reported the exchange to school staff. She expressed concern about retaliation and worried the incident could affect her participation in school activities.
Because of those concerns, she obscured identifying information in the screenshots she shared with the counselor and initially said the messages had been sent to someone else.
According to the filing, the counselor later permitted the student to delete the original messages from her phone. When the district conducted its investigation months later, officials cited the absence of the original texts as a reason disciplinary action could not be taken, despite the existence of screenshots and other digital records.
In April 2024, the family submitted a formal complaint requesting an internal investigation. The review, conducted by the district’s human resources director, lasted approximately five months.
During that period, no interim measures were implemented to separate the student from those involved or limit continued contact at school, the lawsuit claims. The student was also required to recount the incidents multiple times during the process, despite warnings from her private therapist that doing so could worsen psychological harm.
When the investigation concluded, the district determined it could not substantiate racial harassment, citing the lack of original messages. The lawsuit contends that decision relied on standards typically used in criminal investigations rather than the lower evidentiary threshold applied in school disciplinary and civil rights matters.
As the situation remained unresolved, the family sought assistance from the Cedar City Police Department. Court records describe ongoing communication between school officials and law enforcement that did not result in either disciplinary or criminal action.
Search warrants were authorized for cloud-based data associated with the students’ accounts, though the filing states at least one warrant was never executed. A later limited review reportedly concluded no messages were exchanged on the date in question, a finding the family disputes.
According to court documents, affidavits from multiple individuals later confirmed text communications occurred that day. Digital notifications recovered from a wearable device also aligned with the timing of the alleged messages.
The student continued encountering peers connected to the situation into the following school year, including shared classes and school activities, the lawsuit states. One incident cited in court filings describes a teacher directing the student to transport several involved classmates to a school service project despite her objections.
The cumulative impact of the ongoing situation allegedly resulted in severe emotional harm.
On Sept. 6, 2024, the student attempted suicide, according to court records. She did not return to in-person classes afterward and missed approximately 12 weeks of school while receiving treatment. The remainder of the academic year was completed online, and she has not returned to Cedar High School.
The lawsuit asserts violations of federal and state law, including claims under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX, the Fourteenth Amendment, Utah’s Constitution and the state’s anti-bullying statutes. It also includes allegations of negligence and negligence per se.
The family is seeking monetary damages, attorney fees, declaratory relief and court-ordered changes to district bullying prevention practices.
The case is now docketed as case No. 4:26-cv-00007 in U.S. District Court. No hearings have been scheduled, and the district has not yet filed a response. The allegations have not been proven in court.