YOUNGSTOWN - A new federal civil rights lawsuit has been filed against Ursuline High School and members of its football team, with this one accusing members of the team of bullying and discriminating against a gay student.

According to the lawsuit, several members of the football team bullied and harassed a freshman student during the 2023-24 school year because of his sexual orientation and the fact that he wore makeup.

The suit alleges that the team members called the teen homophobic slurs during classes and in his teachers' presence, and that the harassment also included physical assault, with one alleged instance involving the players throwing food at the student during lunch.

The suit alleges that this caused the student to get a red mark on his face.

The suit further alleges that one teacher even joined in on the bullying, with one allegedly saying, "He has on more makeup than me."

One alleged incident happened in front of the student's grandmother at a McDonald's restaurant when some of the players saw the student and laughed at him and made jokes.

According to the suit, the student's grandmother reported the alleged bullying and harassment to school officials and head football coach Dan Reardon, but nothing was done.

The suit alleges that the only action that was ever taken was teachers occasionally telling the students to "knock it off," but taking no further action, and administrative staff saying they would "look into" the matter, but taking no further action.

"The Ursuline Defendants' failures weren't just negligent. They were reckless and intentional, because they sought to protect football players - at any cost," the suit reads.

The teen was transferred to another school, according to the suit.

This is the latest of many federal civil rights lawsuits filed against Ursuline and its football program, accusing the team of engaging in activities such as hazing and sexual harassment, and accusing the school and its administration of failing to properly address the matters.

21 News has reached out to Ursuline High School and the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown for comment on the latest suit and we are waiting to hear back.

In the meantime, you can read much more about the previous lawsuits against Ursuline in our related coverage below.

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