A lawsuit against the Jefferson City School District over the forced haircut of an athlete has been sent back to a lower court after an appeal reversed an original ruling.
In 2019, a middle school wrestler's mother, Roxanna Louis Meudt-Antele, filed a lawsuit against the district and former Thomas Jefferson Middle School wrestling coach Alexander Whelan. The lawsuit alleged Whelan forcibly cut her son's hair prior to a wrestling meet in 2017.
At the time, JC Schools condemned Whelan's actions in a statement.
"The way this student was treated is wholly incompatible with district expectations for staff conduct," the statement read. "We have not, and will not, tolerate this type of unacceptable behavior from anyone on our staff. The district has no policy that would require the cutting of a male or female wrestler's hair, and as soon as the district became aware of this incident we investigated and took appropriate action."
Whelan resigned before the end of his first semester.
Whelan's attorneys did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
In March 2022, Cole County Judge Cotton Walker ruled the district was protected from the lawsuit by sovereign immunity, an exemption of a governing body from some types of lawsuits and prosecution. Meudt-Antele appealed.
In mid-February, the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District issued an opinion counter to the summary judgment granted by the lower court.
The original petition for damages cited eight counts: assault and/or battery; false imprisonment; bullying and harassment; negligent supervision and/or hiring; negligent failure to supervise children; negligent infliction of emotional distress; intentional infliction of emotional distress; and a violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act. According to News Tribune reporting at the time, Meudt-Antele and her son sought judgment against JC Schools and Whelan in excess of $25,000 on each count in compensatory and punitive damages, reasonable attorneys' fees and other relief the court finds proper.
"The district appreciates that the appellate court upheld the trial court's dismissal of seven tort claims as well as the race discrimination claim that were brought against the district," the Jefferson City School District said in a statement.
Chris Miller, attorney for Meudt-Antele and her son, had previously seen that statement and took issue with it, saying the other seven counts were not contested before the appellate court.
The appeal, he said, only applied to the claim of gender discrimination.
The opinion of the appeals court stated the issue revolves around whether male wrestlers with long hair were given the same accommodations as female wrestlers.
The appellant brief filed for Meudt-Antele says the rules for wrestling required that hair not extend below the eyebrows in the front, below the earlobe on the side and below a shirt neckline in the back.
To comply with the rule, a student with long hair could cut their hair, the brief said, but alternatively, they could also wear a hair cover or forfeit the match. The appellant said the boy was not given the option of wearing a hair cover, but girls on the team were.
The district's brief says a cap was available to the team to allow students to comply with the rules, and the student could have worn one if he had wanted one.
The case is set to be sent back to the Cole County Circuit Court, and is not yet set for trial, the district said.
The district has other ongoing cases involving allegations of gender or sex discrimination.
In summer 2022, Ashley Woods, a former human resources manager, sued the district for gender discrimination and retaliation, alleging that other women in her department and related offices excluded, harassed, ignored and undermined her.
Sherri Thomas, a former middle school principal, sued in 2019 for discrimination based on retaliation, sex and age, saying her concerns were frequently shot down or ignored by supervisors and she chose to retire after she said questions about her contract renewal were ignored.
The cases are ongoing.