A lawsuit filed on behalf of a minor student is alleging a Springfield Public Schools' school resource officer discriminated against him based on his race by withholding his personal property and using force to restrain him on school grounds. The child's parents say they are seeking to hold the district and officer accountable for what they called "very unnecessary" behavior that has left lasting impacts on their son.
Attorney Ben Stringer filed a lawsuit against SPS and J. Douglas Hinkle, an SPS school resource officer, on behalf of a minor, identified by the initials L.B. in the suit, and his mother, Keisha Teague, on Aug. 22.
According to the petition filed in court, L.B. was waiting to pick up his sister at Pipkin Middle School in September
2025 when a student exiting the school snatched L.B.'s beanie off his head and ran with it. As L.B. went to retrieve his beanie from the student, he took off his backpack but upon his return to the same spot, Hinkle was holding the backpack behind his back. The lawsuit alleges Hinkle said he would not be returning the backpack, would instead check it in as abandoned and L.B. would have to pick it up from the Springfield Police Department.
The document then states L.B., after asking the officer to return the backpack, reached to retrieve it but Hinkle allegedly grabbed and held L.B. tightly by the arm. The officer allegedly told L.B. to stop hitting him, although the lawsuit claims the child was not doing so. Hinkle, the lawsuit claims, told a female school officer, who was in training, to jump in and grab L.B.'s other arm, which she did. According to the lawsuit, Hinkle's squeezing of L.B.'s arm left a bruise and caused swelling.
The petition states that when Keisha Teague and L.B. went to file a complaint at the school police office, Hinkle allegedly admitted that he was wrong in his actions and had caused an unnecessary scene. Keisha Teague told the News-Leader that although she filed an official complaint, there was little to no meaningful follow-up or resolution of the matter. Stringer said, as far as he and the family are aware, the district did not take any substantiative action as a result of the complaint.
L.B., who is Black, was 14 years old at the time. The lawsuit claims his race and color were a motivating factor in Hinkle's conduct. While he was not a student at Pipkin, he was a student at SPS.
SPS' Chief Communications Officer Stephen Hall provided the following statement to the News-Leader via email: "Springfield Public Schools strives to ensure a school and work environment where students and staff feel welcome and supported. It is important to note that the district has a rigorous nondiscrimination policy and thoroughly investigates claims that are reported. We are aware of the filing and will dispute the allegations in court. Beyond this assessment, we do not comment on pending litigation. Instead, we look forward to a prompt resolution and must now defer to the legal process."
Parents share concern, impact on child
In the past year, Keisha Teague and her husband, Derrell Teague, have seen the situation take a toll on the child. Keisha Teague said with his sister remaining at Pipkin, her son has continued to worry and stress about her safety.
"It's something that has bothered my entire family, not just my immediate family, my whole entire family," she said. "Everybody in my family knows that he did not deserve this, so he goes through it. Sometimes he even goes through states of not being himself."
Keisha Teague, too, said she worries about her son after the incident, which she said was "traumatizing." While she does not want to stop him from exploring the world as he grows up, she is concerned about his safety and being caught in a similar situation in the future. By bringing the situation to light, the parents hope these types of interactions become less common.
"I can't let that happen, and I don't want it to happen again," she said.
The lawsuit brings a claim of racial discrimination against the school district and Hinkle, who the petition states "denied L.B. full and equal use and enjoyment" of the public school's grounds because of his race. Stringer said making the decision to take legal action and make events public is not easy, but the family feels the need to shed light on the situation and bring accountability.
"[Accountability] can mean different things, but it does mean that when mistakes are made that people own those mistakes and that both people and organizations take responsibility by making changes and being honest and thoughtful in their response," the attorney said.
Derrell Teague said he was "disheartened" by the officer's actions and the impact the situation has had on their child. He encouraged families to watch and listen to their kids carefully.
"There are thousands of families that send their kids off to school every day. And we send them off to school trusting the school board and all of the employees to make sure that our kids are safe — not only just to teach them — to make sure our kids are safe," he said. "And this is one instance that happened that I just don't feel that our child was safe."
Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield Public Schools facing racial discrimination lawsuit
