Missouri House candidate Kevin Grover named in wrongful death lawsuits settled for $400K, accused of ignoring bullying that led to teen suicides

A candidate for the Missouri House of Representatives was a defendant in two wrongful death lawsuits settled by his school district employer for close to $400,000.

Kevin Grover, who is running for Missouri’s State House District 30, was accused of significant legal liability in a pair of “bullycide” lawsuits for his time as the principal of Moreland Ridge Middle School in Blue Springs.

Grover advanced to the state’s general election after being unopposed in the Missouri Democratic primary on Aug. 6.

“My experience as a teacher and school administrator honed skills of active listening and collaboration positioning me to serve in the best interest of the community,” says Grover in support of his political campaign.

But the two “bullycide” lawsuits accused Grover of not listening to the concerns of the two deceased students who were clearly in need of his help. 

Blue Springs School District students Ethan Young and Ryker Lewis took their lives after what the lawsuits described as prolonged bullying and harassment at the Moreland Ridge Middle School, which started in 6th grade and continued into their freshman year.  

Grover was principal at Moreland Ridge Middle School at the time Young and Lewis were bullied, the lawsuits say. 

Other students harassed Young with anti-gay slurs because of “his perceived failure to conform to gender norms,” because he had long hair, and spent his time mostly with girls, according to Missouri Lawyer Media. 

The lawsuits claimed that school officials, including Grover, were made aware of the bullying and harassment. 

Still, school officials refused to act to protect the two youths, despite a high-profile settlement in a similar case that was resolved financially by the school district five years prior to the Ethan Young suit.  

Young’s father said the school and the district ignored warning signs of emotional distress in his son, including poor grades and attempts to avoid school by running away from the school bus stop. 

The two lawsuits followed in the wake of a previous lawsuit against the school district in 2012 with similar allegations, reported Missouri Lawyer Media.  ​ 

Allegations against Grover included negligence, failure to act, and contributing to a culture of bullying that led to the tragic suicides of the two students. 

Direct allegations against Grover included failure to implement the district’s anti-bullying policies, failure to comply with anti-sexual harassment and anti-discrimination policies and failure to comply with Missouri’s Human Rights Act. 

He was ultimately accused of being liable to contributing to the emotional distress and deaths of the students by his inaction and failure to intervene in the bullying incidents. 

The suits were brought by the mothers of Young and Lewis. 

Young died in September 2013, just a month into his freshman year, and Lewis, a close friend, died by suicide in May 2014. 

In March 2018, the school district settled the Lewis case for $185,000 and followed with a settlement in the Young case in August of the same year for an additional $185,000. 

Grover’s Missouri State House campaign is relying on his “being a public school educator for 31 years” to make him “ready” to serve District 30, even though members of the Blue Springs School District might disagree in the wake of the wrongful death lawsuits. 

Grover, who is endorsed by the Missouri National Education Association, has made pro-abortion policies and support for public education centerpieces of his campaign.  

The Lion reached out to Grover prior to publication. 

Photo: Screenshot from UpBallot.com page.