Father of 6-year-old attacked in school bathroom may sue

MCDONOUGH, Ga. - The parents of a little girl who deputies said was beaten up in the school bathroom said they are considering suing the Henry County School District.

Deputies said 6-year-old Lanira was attacked by a girl nearly twice her age at a bathroom inside Oakland Elementary School in McDonough last Thursday morning. The little girl's family said she will heal physically, but they are worried about long-term effects.

Lanira scars and bruises last week after being attacked at school.

Lanira has come a long way in just a few days. Last week, she clung to her mother, the bruises and cuts on the face quite obvious. Those have started to fade, but her family said they are worried about the scars they can’t see.

“There's been no sleep in last 72 hours for anybody because she's scared to go to the bathroom by herself. She’s had some nightmares,” said Lanira’s father, Jeremy Tackett.

Her parents said what happened to her has also affected her younger siblings.

“Even my 4-year-old, who was excited to start school, she came to me and my wife, and said she doesn't want to go to school and get beat up. So, it's really affected the whole family,” said Tackett.

The family said it's a good possibility they will take legal action against the school district.

“It's just justice for Lanira. It’s going to cost us a lot of money, counseling, family counseling. It’s going to be a lot of expenses. This isn’t something that's going to be over in a month or two. This is going to be something my family has to deal with probably for a while,” said Tackett.

FOX 5 caught up with Lanira Monday after a visit to her doctor.

Tackett said he is unsure of the reason the 11-year-old beat up his daughter, but he feels the school could have done more to protect his daughter.

“I just think, in the beginning, there could have been some things done to prevent the situation because there was an incident before the Friday all of this happened on the school bus,” said Tackett.

The family has not filed a lawsuit yet. The Henry County School District said they have not been notified about a lawsuit, but even if they have been, it is there policy to not comment on pending litigation.