After son's suicide, dad sues Duluth school for allegedly ignoring harassment

A father is suing the Duluth school district over harassment that he says led his son to take his own life.

Todd Seehus says his son Tristan was perceived as gay while he was a student at Duluth's Lincoln Park Middle School. The lawsuit says Tristan suffered verbal and physical harassment at school based on that perception.

Seehus is suing the Duluth district, the school board and school administrators.

The lawsuit says the school ignored the abuse, which it says led to Tristan's suicide in February 2015.

Seehus is seeking monetary damages and an order forcing the district to develop new anti-harassment policies.

In a statement the district said it has policies on gender identity and inclusion in line with state and federal laws.

The district wrote, "We continue to seek guidance from the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota School Boards Association and the Minnesota State High School League in an ongoing effort to create safe, supportive environments for all students."

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