Nex Benedict's school will be investigated over possible federal civil rights violations

The U.S. Department of Education will launch a civil rights investigation into Nex Benedict’s suburban Tulsa school district, the school confirmed Friday.

The investigation will look into allegations that Owasso Public Schools failed to adequately address reports of sex-based harassment.

News of the investigation comes nearly a month after Nex, 16, died one day after an altercation in a school bathroom. Friends have said the teen, who used the pronouns they and them and he and him, had been bullied in the past over their gender identity. Their death has become a flashpoint in nationwide conversations over transgender rights and school safety.

More: What we know and what we don't about death of Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, whose agency will conduct the investigation into Owasso schools, said in a Feb. 21 social media post that he was devastated over Nex’s death.

“Violence has no place in our school,” Cardona said. “It is our responsibility to protect all students by creating spaces where they feel safe to be their true selves.”

Brock Crawford, a spokesman for Owasso schools, said the district received notice of the U.S. Department of Education investigation Friday. He said district administrators believe the allegations are unsupported and without merit, but are "committed to cooperating with federal officials."

In a statement issued Monday, the family of Nex Benedict called for the investigation to be carried out transparently. "Ideally, an open and transparent process will serve to not only improve Owasso Public Schools, but all school districts where students are subjected to intolerable behavior," the teen's relatives said in a statement issued by their attorney, Jacob Biby.

Karen Mines, a top attorney in the Education Department’s civil rights office, wrote in the investigation notice that the department would look into allegations that the school may have violated laws meant to ensure students are not discriminated against because of their sex or any disability.

“Please note that opening the complaint for investigation in no way implies that (the Office of Civil Rights) has made a determination on the merits of the complaint,” Mines wrote.

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Several former Owasso students told The Oklahoman they were frequently bullied over their gender and sexual identities as far back as the 1990s. The federal investigation will be limited to the instances of harassment reported during the current school year.

The notice of the investigation was first published by the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington, D.C.-based group, which lobbies on behalf of LGBTQ+ rights, which lodged the complaint. Its president, Kelley Robinson, wrote to Cardona Feb. 21 and requested the inquiry “to prevent similar tragedies from taking place in the future and to help hold accountable those responsible for Nex’s tragic death.”

Robinson also asked federal school officials to investigate Oklahoma Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, the most vocal supporter of the state’s push to roll out anti-trans rules in school.

Hundreds of other organizations are calling for Walters to be removed from office, sending a joint letter Wednesday to other top Oklahoma officials. The letter blamed Walters “for fostering a culture of violence and hate against the 2SLGBTQI+ community in Oklahoma schools.”

Police have said they are still investigating whether Nex was targeted in the Feb. 7 altercation that preceded their death because of their gender identity. They died the following day under circumstances that remain uncertain.

Investigators have said only that preliminary autopsy results show the teen did not die from injuries.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comments about the investigation from the family of Nex Benedict.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Nex Benedict's death prompts federal investigation into Oklahoma school