Grayson Student Blamed For Zoom Bombing Loses Suspension Appeal

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — A Grayson middle-school student who says he was blamed unfairly for someone else Zoom bombing his online class had his suspension upheld Thursday by the Gwinnett County school board.

In February, Couch Middle School suspended 11-year-old Malachi Battle for three months — essentially, for the rest of the school year — after school authorities traced threats and racial slurs in an online class he attended to what they said was his IP address.

The problem? Malachi was accused based on an inaccurate list of IP addresses from Zoom, according to attorney Nick Lotito.

A forensics expert hired by Lotito to investigate said that the Zoom log connected Malichi’s public address to several people who weren’t even in the same house, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The expert also said the Zoom bomber’s local IP address didn’t match the configuration of Malachi’s router.

Lotito told the Atlanta newspaper that he thought the board ignored his investigator’s report when it made its decision. The board made its decision behind closed doors in accordance with privacy laws.

“I am disappointed,” Lotito said to The AJC. Lotito said he planned to appeal Gwinnett’s decision to the state board of education.

Read about the Gwinnett County Board of Education’s decision in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.