As Missouri teenager Kaylee Gain continues to grapple with the aftermath of being savagely beaten in March, the high school where she and her attacker attended is being accused of refusing to hand over records requested by state Attorney General Andrew Bailey.
According to the Daily Mail, Bailey is considering charging the teen assailant as an adult.
Sixteen-year-old Gain sustained a skull fracture and a brain bleed, which left her in a coma for two weeks following the incident on March 8. Both Gain, who is white, and her attacker, who is black, are students at Hazelwood East High School in St. Louis. The altercation occurred approximately a mile from the school during a confrontation between two groups of teenagers.
Bailey has suggested that the incident occurred as a result of the school’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) culture.
The assaulter’s name is Maurnice DeClue. Don’t let her get away with this https://t.co/BA92QltqHa
— Redeemed Zoomer (@redeemed_zoomer) April 3, 2024
Bailey criticized the school district for its “egregious errors” regarding the incident and accused the district of violating the law by failing to promptly provide the requested records.
“Instead of directing your ire at a date reference or making ad-hominem attacks, you should follow Missouri law and do so immediately,” Bailey asserted.
In response, Cindy Reeds Ownsby, an attorney representing the school district, stated in a recent email that Bailey is the source of the problem.
Fox News reported:
Bailey told Fox News Digital exclusively that he would open an investigation into the Hazelwood School District and how their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs contributed to the safety failures following the violent attack.
“Hazelwood owes the parents of the district and the entire community an explanation as to what role these radical programs and safety failures played here,” Bailey’s staff said, emphasizing that this is the focus of the investigation.
“It is disappointing to have an attorney general that intentionally disrespects public school district administrators and elected officials by sending error-filled correspondence to intimidate and threaten their leadership. It is surprising that you are opening an investigation based on lies that you could have easily ascertained if you would have taken a few minutes to fact-check prior to sending your correspondence,” Cindy Reeds Ownsby, an attorney for the Hazelwood School District wrote.
“Is that because you have assumed, without official verification, that the March 8th altercation was between a white student and a black student, while the other incidents were black-on-black student or student/teacher encounters? Do you value white students’ safety more than black students’ safety? Do you honestly believe, again, without any official verification or specific knowledge, that the fight on March 8th was a result of a racial issue between the female students that was caused by the HSD belief in the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion for all?” Ownsby stated in the email.
“I’m deeply concerned that the school where these teens were students has a history of promoting divisive racial ideology over the safety of its students,” Bailey said.
According to USA Today, a judge has scheduled a certification hearing for May 10 to decide whether the alleged attacker will face trial as an adult.
The Gain family’s lawyer, Bryan Kaemmerer, will argue in favor of trying the attacker as an adult.
“Kaylee is still showing signs of significant cognitive impairment during the limited conversations that she is able to have, and she tends to reiterate the same short sentences over and over. Although Kaylee seems to realize she is in hospital, she does not understand why she is there,” Kaemmerer said, according to the Mirror.
Although it remains uncertain whether the accused attacker will be tried as an adult, the case has garnered national interest and will remain in the spotlight until a verdict is reached.
