Dearborn Heights School District Sued After Student Takes Own Life

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, MI — The mother of a student who took her own life filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a Dearborn Heights school district, claiming officials ignored "red flags" in May when they sent her home from school early.

The $25 million lawsuit accuses the Dearborn Heights School District #7, Annapolis High School Principal Aaron Mollett and Superintendent Tyrone Weeks of sending 14-year-old Annapolis freshman Selena Perez home from school without seeking medical help, despite knowing she was under the influence of marijuana and experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Moreover, the lawsuit accuses officials of failing to enforce the school's code of conduct, which would have forced a 10-day suspension and notifying parents and police.

"Mollett had personal, first-hand knowledge that Selena was under the influence of marijuana in the hours before Selena's death," according to the lawsuit. "Mollett allowed Selena to leave school premises without seeking medical treatment, without advising her parental guardians of the actual circumstances surrounding her altered mental and physical state, or reporting anything to the local authorities."

Selena was sent home from Annapolis High School on May 1 for misbehavior and "tossing bottles" in a classroom while she was under the influence of marijuana, according to the lawsuit.

Although officials contacted Selena's mother about the misbehavior, they did not tell her parents or police she was under the influence of drugs and had physical signs of self-induced harm, according to the lawsuit.

Selena then walked home in extreme emotional distress and in an "altered state of mental health," according to the lawsuit.

Her parents then found her dead in the home's basement roughly three hours later, according to the lawsuit.

Within 30 minutes after her death, Mollett and Weeks went to Selena’s home "under the guise of expressing condolences," according to the lawsuit.

Mollett also told Selena's parents she was under the influence of marijuana during school hours, but he later backtracked on that statement, according to the lawsuit.

"The mere arrival of Defendants Mollett and Weeks at Selena’s residence, in such close temporal proximity to Selena’s death raises genuine concerns on how they developed the knowledge of Selena’s passing, who they obtained that information from, the content and substance of their electronic communications with Selena and the nature of their relationship with Selena," according to the lawsuit.

Mollett was placed on administrative leave shortly after Selena's death, a move that infuriated the community, which demanded answers and transparency in the investigation.

Mollett was reinstated and Weeks was then suspended in connection to three Title XI complaints, a state civil rights complaint, several union grievances and unfair labor practice charges, according to the Michigan Education Association.

Mollett was then suspended again at the end of the school year while a "highly sensitive" investigation plays out, Board President Latanya Gater told Patch in June.

Patch reached out to Dearborn Heights School District #7 Board President Latanya Gater for comment and an update on the suspensions of Mollett and Weeks.

Dearborn Heights Police were still investigating Selena's death.

Help is available 24/7 by calling or texting the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. With proper treatment and support, it is possible to get help for suicidal thoughts and other mental health challenges.