Father sues Delavan-Darien schools after son 'bullied to death'
DELAVAN, Wis. - After a Delavan teenager died, his father is suing the school district – claiming they did nothing to stop bullying.
Jeff Cook said a classmate bullied his 17-year-old son, Peter Cook-Lavariega, for years because he was half Mexican. It culminated in a physical fight in Delavan-Darien High School's parking lot.
"The only thing he ever wanted was to be accepted," said Cook.
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Police said the teenager then handed a suicide note to his swim coach before crashing his car into a tree.
"This teacher took this note from him and let him walk away with blood on him in an extremely distraught state," Cook said.
Peter Cook-Lavariega
In 2021, Cook organized a protest outside the high school to end bullying. In May, he and his attorney went one step further and filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the school district.
"We don’t want this to happen to any other child in the future. Nothing we are doing here can bring Peter back, but it didn’t have to result the way it did," Attorney Michael Anderson said.
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In the filing, Anderson alleges the school district knew about the bullying for years and failed to take any action to stop it. However, in a police report, investigators said there were no known reports of bullying surrounding the incident.
"There are documents that do show that – internal documents – that show knowledge by the district," said Anderson.
Delavan-Darien School District
Police also said school district staff tried to run after Peter as he went to his car, but could not keep up.
"My son was bullied to death. The school district sat back and watched it happen," Cook said.
Delavan-Darien police
FOX6 News reached out to District Administrator Jill Sorbie, who is listed as a defendant in the case, for comment. She said she cannot comment on pending litigation, but expected the lawsuit to be dismissed:
"Because this is pending litigation the District cannot discuss the matter in detail. I can say that the entire DDSD was saddened by Peter’s suicide. This lawsuit will not change that tragedy and we fully expect that it will be dismissed."
Cook is also suing the accused bully and his parents. Asked for their response, they told FOX6 "no comment."