Round Rock Parents Sue Over Yearbook Article About Daughter

ROUND ROCK, TX — The parents of a Round Rock ISD student have sued the district over a journalism teacher's yearbook article they claim was based on their daughter's struggle with an eating disorder, according to reports.

The lawsuit claims the 16-year-old McNeil High School student's privacy was violated under a so-called 504 Plan designed to protect students with disabilities, KVUE reported. Although the girl agreed to participate in an interview and be photographed for the yearbook, the suit claims, consent for the article was never secured.

Although district officials claim the article was not published, the girl's condition became fodder for gossip and discussion about her via social media, as outlined in the suit. As a result, the suit claims, the girl's medical condition worsened.

According to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by Patch, the girl was diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa in 2016, the same year she enrolled at the high school. In the suit, the parents claim a teacher planned to make the girl the subject of a feature article in the newspaper related to mental illness, assigning upper class students to interview and photograph the girl.

"As a 16-year old child, [name redacted] was legally incapable of giving consent to the interviews and photographs," the lawsuit reads. "Neither of her parents were contacted by any school official or faculty member to gain consent."

The girl then succumbed to peer pressure, according to the suit: "Submitting to the peer and faculty pressure [name redacted] participated in the interviews and allowed photographs to be taken in late October or early November 2018," the suit reads. "Not surprisingly, the photographs and gossipy rumors of Clarissa’s condition soon began appearing on internet social media such as Facebook and Instagram."

Reached for comment, Round Rock ISD spokesperson wrote in an email to Patch: "We have not yet been served with the lawsuit in question, and we are unable to speak specifically to the situation due to FERPA, but are aware of the claim. What we can share is our goal is to create a safe and supportive environment for all of our students, and when issues related to our students’ well being present themselves, we take quick and appropriate action."

The acronym refers to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, a federal law that governs the access to educational information and records by public entities such as potential employers, publicly funded educational institutions, and foreign governments.

>>> Read the full story at KVUE