MASON CITY – A former Mason City family that alleged abuse in the schools and said the school district didn’t do enough to stop it has settled the lawsuit and left town.
Heather Conti and her daughter, Angelina Conti, were co-plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed in Juneof 2012 in Cerro Gordo County district court that alleges gross negligence by the Mason City school district. The lawsuit stems from what the Conti’s describe as an on-going bullying saga that started in 2010 and lasted through the Spring of 2011.
A long court ordeal was finally settled this month when the case was dismissed with prejudice. The original case had been dismissed in district court last year and the Conti’s had appealed. They had employed several local attorneys, including Vance Jorgensen, Colin Murphy and Joel Yunek.
NIT contacted Heather Conti for comment on the case.
“We all moved to Texas,” she said. “Angelina is going to be a mama and wanted to close that chapter. Settled it out of court.”
Angelina, was a sophomore at Mason City High School in 2010, and had just moved to Mason City from Texas with her family. According to her mother, Heather, and her father, Andrew, everything was fine at her new school in the beginning.
“We had no problems, everything was just fine,” Andrew said. Angelina, who could be described as the “new girl” at the school, had made the volleyball team right away and seemed to be enjoying school, her parents said. They described Angelina as a happy teen, attractive, athletic, even a dirt bike champion back in Texas.
Then, that October, Angelina was riding in a car with a friend. They were out toilet-papering houses as some teens do during the fall months in Mason City. The boy driving the car lost control of the vehicle while adjusting an iPod and slammed into a pole next to the road. Angelina was not wearing a seat belt, and she was propelled into the windshield, face first. Angelina’s left knee was also injured in the accident.
Angelina needed facial reconstruction surgery. “The doctors did a great job,” Andrew said.
But upon her return to school after the accident, Angelina noticed a change in several of her classmates. “They started in right away,” Heather said. Angelina was about to undergo the surgeries to help repair scarring and damage from the accident. Some students, the lawsuit alleges, began to pick up on Angelina’s appearance and proceeded to bully, harass and intimidate her at school.
Names such as “scarface” were muttered in hallways and classrooms. She was also called a “whore” due to the perceived circumstances by students of the car accident.
The Contis claim that they met with school officials early on, starting in the Fall of 2010, and as the bullying escalated “through verbal and physical acts.”
“They pretty much did nothing, were never prepared for our meetings,” Andrew and Heather said. “She was in a class with some of the girls. They were on her in that class, which she was never pulled out of.”
The bullies, the Contis said, were led by a “former friend.” Other female classmates were involved.
The bullying at school spread to Facebook and threats of violence in the Spring of 2011. The lawsuit states that a video was posted to Facebook, where some female classmates threatened violence against Angelina.
The Contis continued to complain to the school district, but nothing was done, the lawsuit alleged. Even after text messages and a phone call which threatened violence, the school district did nothing. Not even police involvement and a harassment charge deterred the abuse.
The only way the Contis could stop the bullying cycle and protect Angelina, Heather and Andy say, was to pull her out of Mason City High School and open-enroll her elsewhere. Angelina enrolled at Central Springs High School in Manly, where the Contis said earlier in an interview that “everything went great, just fine. She [was] very happy there.”
The Contis said that the Mason City School District made the open enrollment “more difficult than it had to be. There were conditions that slowed it down. They wanted to keep the state dollars and not let it go to Manly.”
School districts receive funding from the state level for each student that attends. If a student leaves the district, theoretically, the state dollars follow the student.
School Superintendent Anita Micich told NIT in an interview in 2012 that “the dollars must follow that child (to the new district they will attend), that is a state law.
“We never want to see something like this,” Dr. Micich said in that interview. “We are continuing to work to bring the best service possible to our students.”
Dr. Micich did not respond to questions this week regarding the outcome of this case.
wow, what a bunch of jerks. hey, bullies, if you’re reading this – you should be ashamed of yourselves.
Hey, this is not surprising at all, MCCSD even allows it’s staff to bully other staff members, so, is it a surprise that they didn’t do anything?
Shoot, they will even keep a teacher on payroll and in the classroom that doesn’t follow a Federal Contract between parents of special education students and the school district/Federal government! And, that my friends, is AGAINST THE LAW! Individualized Education Plans are a binding contract, they require special education teachers to test students weekly along with specialized instruction of the skills being tested. If either of those components aren’t happening, it can cause a LOT of problems for the school district and the teacher that was responsible for writing and holding that IEP. SHAME ON THE PRINCIPAL FOR LETTING THIS HAPPEN AND NOT TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS.
Mason City School System has been dead for years, probably the dirtiest school in the area. has been for years, terrible socialist teachers, and commie principal!
VOTE TRUMP! PS IM 23 AND NOT A SUBJECT OF MASON CITY!
THAT SHOULD BE GOOD ENOUGH PROOF LOL
“Looks to young to be a mama” so you judge the girl to be easy?!?! The accident was in 2010 when she was a sophomore which makes her her about 22 today. Quit having such a small mind, read and comprehend the whole story before judging someone.
I think the issue has been lost somewhere in some of these statements. I believe that regardless of what a person has done gives no one the right to bully!! Mason City School System has a big problem, they don’t address bullying at all. I am ashamed to say I graduated here. My Grandson was bullied and I was very angry of how they handled the situation. They never even let my daughter know what was found in their inquiries. I guess when you let them know of a situation the child making a complaint is punished.
That is a rude statement to make. I knew this girl and her mother from my job (they often visited). All I can say is they were both very nice respectful people to deal with. Being a young mother doesn’t say anything about the type of student or person she is. I am a young mother and here I am making it on my own with a career. Her being a young mother should also not deter from her experience at this school. Children need to be held responsible when they are THIS CRUEL to a classmate its not ok. The school should have done more to protect her and others like her.
Justt remember folks Amamda Ragan is a big supporter of Anita. Vote Dietz !!
Ragan’s support of whomever she chooses is totally irrelevant to this article. Furthermore leave Shawn out of this. Jerk.
This the same Angelina Conti that was arrested for underage drinking and domestic violence?
Yes, it is indeed the same girl.
Our school system has no balls, they are afraid of most parents, also not only should Dr. Micich go she really needs to take Hal Minear(asst superintendent) Randy Meyer(Bussing) and Ramona Jefferies(finance. They are all in on all the bullying hearings that takes place.
And Because this behavior is accepted, know we are dealing with kids who think it is cool to be in gangs. We could have stopped this behavior years ago instead of letting it escalate. Mason City needs to get a clue!
Dr. Micich is a liar, who would believe anything she says.
Before you come back to Iowa for a visit make dam sure your checked for Ebola please We don’t want it here!
This doesn’t surprise me at all about MC. If the leaders in MC are also bullies the kids are going to follow what they see! People in Manly are so much friendlier and I’m glad I moved here!
you must of had a better experience than my family and I, that is why we did not open enroll my child again this year at that school. Teachers there are a joke is the elementary. the rules are outright outrageous. good luck!
The best part is they got out of the Mason City hell hole. While the bullying wasn’t a fun experience it did help this family to go where there is more opportunity and happier people. I was born and raised in Mason and am now also a Texan. Way better here. When I return to visit family and friends I can only shake my head at such a negative bunch of losers you have for leaders.
So nice of you to bring your self righteous comments to this site and to hob nob among the scum of the earth here in Mason City. Thanks for climbing down from your pious perch and admitting to your impoverished roots.
Sounds like the Mason City School District! My child was bullied all through school and they did nothing. In fact if he said anything, he was told we didn’t see it, it didn’t happen!
lawyers probably got more money.
Sadly, this was probably the only solution to the problem.
How much did this settlement cost us Matt?
No details released at all on that.