Family sues school for wrongful death after their 16-year-old son is accused of racism and commits suicide

A family is suing their son's high school for wrongful death after the 16-year-old committed suicide in part because he was accused of being racist.

The parents of Charlie Schnell said that he committed suicide in March 2022 because of numerous incidents relating to his experience at Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland.

“Every day, I wake up, and he dies again,” said Scott Schnell, the boy's father, to WRC-TV. “There’s not a day that we don’t think of him, that I don’t think of him.”

The family claims in a lawsuit against the school that their son suffered a concussion during a sports event, and the school dean mocked him in front of other students.

They also said that a classmate accused him of making a racist drawing, and he was subjected to threats of violence and extreme bullying. The family says he faced discipline in another incident and was not allowed to respond in his defense. He was given the option to withdraw or be expelled, and he withdrew. This was 13 days before he killed himself.

“Our biggest mistake was sending Charlie to Landon,” said Dawn Schnell, his mother.

The family says that a father of their son's classmate committed suicide, and the school didn't offer adequate grief support. They also claim that a student at the school threatened to commit mass violence, and their son had a difficult time processing it, but a teacher didn't inform them about that anxiety.

“There was fear across that campus, and the boys were not supported to be able to process that fear,” said Dawn Schnell.

They are asking for $75,000 and for changes in policy at the school in order to prevent further incidents of student suicide.

The school released a statement to WRC about the lawsuit describing all the policies they put in place to help children process mental stress.

“At Landon, we have no higher duty than supporting the well-being of our boys, a role we take very seriously," the statement read. "We continue to feel only compassion for the grief that this family is experiencing over the devastating loss of their son. And while we strongly disagree with the claims and characterizations made in their lawsuit, we will continue to navigate this situation with respect, compassion and sensitivity.”

The Schnells said they wanted children to know that there's help for those who feel desperate and hopeless.

“If I could do one thing in my life over, it would be not sending him there,” his father said of the school.

Here's a local news report about the incident:

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