HRC Complaint Triggers Investigation Into Nex Benedict’s Death

The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation regarding the death of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary high school student who died of assault-related injuries a month ago. This comes in response to a letter from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) regarding the negligence of the Owasso Public School District in preventing targeted harassment.

Nex Benedict (he/they) was a 16-year-old 2STGNC+ (Two Spirit, transgender, or gender nonconforming+) student of Choctaw heritage. After a fight at school, he was rushed to the hospital on February 8, where he was pronounced dead. According to a police interview, before his passing, Nex described that he was attacked by several other students who beat him until he blacked out.

Apparently, school authorities didn’t contact the police about the fight despite Nex suffering severe injuries, and instead simply discharged him from the nurse’s office after a brief check. Postmortem, the medical examiner’s office also declared that Nex did not die due to trauma. However, Nex Benedict’s family suspects that this is a cover-up, and have gone on record saying that their child has been the target of bullying due to his identity in the past. Nevertheless, they chose not to press charges, as police claimed that Nex could be perceived as having started the fight.

Kelly Robinson, President of the HRC, submitted a letter of complaint to the Department of Education. Within, she and much of the larger Oklahoma LGBTQ+ community demand answers and clarity regarding Owasso Public Schools’ negligence in dealing with the entire situation. Robinson requested a thorough federal investigation into Nex’s death, claiming that the school district has failed to meet Title IX requirements regarding discriminatory anti-LGBTQ+ harassment.

Last week, the Department of Education answered and informed the HRC that they would begin a full investigation into the situation. The letter from the Department reads: “The U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), is opening for investigation the above-referenced complaint that you filed against the Owasso Public Schools (the District). Your complaint alleges that the District discriminated against students by failing to respond appropriately to sex-based harassment, of which it had notice, at Owasso High School during the 2023-2024 school year.”

Oklahoma has pushed for some of the most aggressive anti-trans laws in the nation, including attempts to completely erase trans people from the definition of the law. A transphobic bathroom law previously enacted also placed Nex Benedict in the position where he was frequently harassed by other students in the girl’s bathroom. Hopefully his family will be able to find justice through the Department’s investigation.