HCS answers lawsuit claiming Black high school tennis player was used as ‘target practice’

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) – Horry County Schools has filed its answer against a federal discrimination lawsuit.

The lawsuit filed back in March claims the Green Sea-Floyds High School tennis coach allowed white girls on the team to use a 17-year-old Black student, who was also on the team, as “target practice.”

“This daily behavior of racial abuse caused NC [the 17-year-old] great distress and emotional harm and was a blatant instance of race discrimination,” according to the lawsuit.

Horry County Schools and the other co-defendants, which includes Principal Nick Harris and tennis coach Krysten Webster, filed an answer to the allegations at the end of April.

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The documents show that the defendants deny all allegations made in the lawsuit.

The answer also lists out 16 defenses as to why the federal lawsuit should be dismissed.

Some of the defenses state that the school made good faith efforts to accommodate the 17-year-old student and her mother.

“Defendants exercised reasonable care to prevent and correct any harassing and/or potentially harassing behavior and the Plaintiff unreasonably failed to take advantage of preventative or corrective opportunities provided,” according to the documents.

The answer to the complaint also states that the plaintiff did not go through all of the “administrative remedies” before filing the lawsuit.

The documents also claim that the lawsuit fails to state facts that are sufficient enough to file the lawsuit.

The latest scheduling order on the federal court docket shows that the case could go to trial in February 2025 with the jury selection deadline being Feb. 18, 2025. It’s important to note that scheduling orders change periodically in the federal court system.

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