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The mother of a South Carolina high school student has filed a federal lawsuit against the Horry County school district and three of its employees, alleging racial discrimination in the treatment of her 17-year-old daughter during her attempt to join the tennis team.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. district court on March 16, 2024, alleges that the tennis coach at Green C. Floyds High School, Krysten Webster, allowed white girls on the team to use Crystal Dozier‘s daughter, referred to as “NC,” as “target practice” during tennis practice sessions.
The suit further claims that NC – who is black – faced escalating racial discrimination at Webster’s hands.
According to the complaint, NC’s distress over the alleged discriminatory behavior led her to withdraw from Green C. Floyds High School on January 24, 2024. The suit names not only coach Webster but also the school’s principal, Nick Harris, and assistant principal, Mary Price, as defendants.
The lawsuit outlines a series of events in which NC allegedly confronted Webster about the discrimination, only to be met with further mistreatment and verbal assault. Moreover, when Dozier was called to the school due to her daughter’s distress, she claims to have been misled by Harris and Price about the nature of NC’s behavior during the confrontation.
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Unbeknownst to the school officials, though, NC had recorded the conversation with Webster, providing evidence that contradicted the officials’ accounts. While Price admitted her deception and apologized, NC had already decided to remove herself from the tennis team.
The lawsuit further alleges that after Dozier wrote a letter to the school district in September 2023 complaining of racial discrimination, NC faced bullying at school, resulting in both physical and emotional harm.
Attorney Aaron Wallace of Columbia, S.C., is representing Dozier in the case, which seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees for the various harms suffered by NC, including reputational loss, emotional distress, mental anguish, humiliation, and embarrassment.
When reached for comment, Lisa Bourcier, Horry County Schools’ director of strategic communications, stated, “HCS does not comment on matters related to pending litigation.”
As this case progresses through the judicial system, FITSNews will continue to monitor and report on any further developments.
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THE FILING …
(U.S. District Court)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Callie Lyons is a journalist, researcher, and author whose investigative work can be found in media outlets, publications, and documentaries all over the world – most recently in the Parisian newspaper Le Monde and a German documentary for ProSieben. Lyons also appears in Citizen Sleuth – a 2023 documentary exploring the genre of true crime.
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