Parents file wrongful-death lawsuits against City of Sparks, Washoe school district after 12-year-old’s suicide

Downtown Reno's Washoe County courthouse with the Second Judicial District Court. Bob Conrad / THIS IS RENO

Note: This story mentions suicide. Suicide is preventable. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988. Nevadans can reach services by calling, texting, or chatting online. To find mental and behavioral health services in Nevada, visit: behavioralhealthnv.org

By Nicole Fernandez with This is Reno.

Sara Tolliver and Christopher Schatz this week filed two wrongful-death lawsuits against the City of Sparks and Washoe County School District alleging first responders delayed aid and the district ignored repeated bullying of their 12-year-old son, Kellen Schatz. Both complaints were filed in Washoe’s Second Judicial District Court.

The allegations claim emergency responders refused to act when their son was found unresponsive in his locked bedroom and that officers gave false timelines in their reports. The parents also said the school district ignored persistent bullying, downplayed their concerns and ultimately failed to protect their son from the emotional abuse he endured while at school.

The parents allege the City of Sparks, Sparks Police and Fire, REMSA and Sparks police officers Brandon Shales and Scott Bader denied and delayed lifesaving aid to Kellen on Nov. 18, 2024. A recounting of events included in the complaint states Tolliver called 911 at 9:38 p.m. on Nov. 18, 2024, after Kellen locked himself in his bedroom and went silent. Instead of sending help, Tolliver said Shales and Bader called her twice, questioned why police were needed and denied emergency assistance since she could not “tell them what the problem was.” 

As a result, Tolliver sought help from her neighbor, a firefighter, who broke the door down around 9:52 p.m. Finding Kellen hanging with a cord wrapped around his neck, the neighbor began CPR. REMSA arrived 18 minutes after Sara’s initial call to 911. Kellen was pronounced dead at 10:33 p.m. The family alleges a faster response would have saved Kellen’s life. 

“This case is about accountability and about protecting children,” said attorney Kirill Mikhaylov of Pacific West Injury Law in a media statement about the lawsuit. “Kellen’s parents entrusted both the school system and first responders. That trust was betrayed. No family should have to experience this level of loss because of inaction.”

The wrongful-death lawsuit against the Washoe County School District alleges systemic negligence and civil rights violations that led to Kellen’s suicide. The parents accuse Shaw Middle School staff of ignoring repeated reports that Kellen was bullied for his large facial birthmark, protruding ears, slight build, gender and race. 

In the complaint, Tolliver and Schatz allege school staff were aware that Kellen had faced bullying at his previous school, Sky Ranch Middle School, yet no meaningful steps were taken to put protective measures in place once new reports of harassment surfaced. 

According to the complaint, “In the four months preceding his death, [five students] physically assaulted Kellen, verbally abused him, threatened him… among other things.”

The family said WCSD violated Nevada’s anti-bullying law, which mandates parental notification, and deprived them of their right to intervene. The suit also alleges violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, claiming the district was deliberately indifferent to disability-based harassment. The lack of documentation and advocacy between Sky Ranch Middle School and Shaw Middle School shows a pattern of WCSD schools disregarding the serious impact bullying has on youths, the parents allege.

Tolliver in a media statement announcing the lawsuit, urged people to pay attention to the emotional health of their friends and family.  

“Check on your happy friends — the ones who seem fine on the outside may still be hurting,” she said. “Have age-appropriate conversations with your children about suicide and the finality of it. There are a hundred things I would do differently if I had the chance; this was simply something I never expected to happen.”

The two complaints combined include 37 causes of action, from wrongful death and negligence to federal due-process violations. The family is  seeking damages exceeding $75,000 in each complaint, along with attorneys fees and unspecified damages for emotional distress, funeral costs and lost wages. The family also seeks jury trials for both lawsuits, hoping to hold the City of Sparks and WCSD accountable for Kellen’s death.

Both the City of Sparks and the Washoe County School District were contacted for comment but have not yet responded.

Disclosure: The reporter previously worked for the Washoe County School District.