A 2023 Sussex Central High school graduate, whose bare breast was inadvertently exposed in a school surveillance video, has filed a Lawsuit against two principals accusing them of creating a Meme from the incident and sharing it with staff.
Eighteen-year-old Aniya Harmonās breast became visible during a verbal altercation when a faculty member accidentally pulled her jacket and bra strap, Delaware Online reported.
The incident, which occurred on May 17, has since led to a legal battle that has shaken the school community.
The two principals have been identified as Bradley Layfield and Matthew Jones.
āI was infuriated,ā said Latosha White, Harmonās mother. āI was angry, and Iāve been angry ever since,ā The New York Times reported.
The Lawsuit, filed in Delaware Superior Court, alleges that Layfield and Jones used the surveillance footage to create a Meme.
In this Meme, they superimposed Janet Jacksonās face on Harmonās in a reference to the singerās 2004 Super Bowl halftime show incident.
The Lawsuit claims that Layfield shared the unedited video with faculty members, raising concerns about the violation of privacy.
Harmon and her mother are demanding criminal charges against the principals.
āIām still disappointed,ā Harmon said. āAnd Iām still in shock about everything.ā
The legal action comes after Harmon and her mother learned that the Meme was being circulated within the school by staff members, according to Delaware Online.
White expressed her dismay, saying, āItās been hell, to be quite honest with you.ā
Both Layfield and Jones were placed on administrative leave on May 22, shortly after the incident came to light.
Delaware State Police have been investigating the case since then, although no charges have been filed yet.
Layfield, in a statement released by his attorney Thomas Neuberger last month, acknowledged sharing the video with staff members but did not mention the Meme.
Neuberger reiterated Layfieldās position that he did not create or distribute the Meme and called the Lawsuit āa misplaced claimā against his client, according to Delaware Online.
Layfieldās attorney defended his actions, stating that he had shown the footage in person to state troopers, assistant principals, and some teachers, in line with school policy.
However, the state police and Sussex County prosecutorās office have not yet commented on the matter, according to the Times.
Harmonās family is also pursuing legal action against Sussex Central High school and the Indian River School District, naming them as defendants in the Lawsuit, according to Delaware Online.
Neither the school nor the district has responded to the allegations as of yet.
The incident has had a profound impact on Harmon, who is now a college freshman, the Times reported.
She described how it affected her emotionally and socially, saying, āI hope it brings awareness to other schools ā make the school a better place, safer for students.ā
Delaware Online also reported that critics of the schoolās response to the incident, including NAACP Delaware State Conference of Branches president Richard Smith, have called for a comprehensive investigation into how black students are treated and have demanded charges against the principals.
Smith emphasized that Layfield and Jones should never work in another school again, saying: āWe are basically calling for the Attorney General to look deeper into it and come up with the right charges to charge these two.ā
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
