Parents Brandon and Crystal Beller have taken Kingston Public Schools to court, accusing district leaders of looking the other way while a sexually charged hazing culture took root in the girls basketball program. Their negligence suit, filed early last month in Marshall County, claims freshman players were pulled into degrading initiations during an overnight June 17, 2024, team camp at Vinita High School. The district denies the allegations and says the situation remains under review.
The Bellers’ petition, filed in Marshall County District Court, names the school district as the sole defendant and describes the hazing as a long-standing team tradition. According to Oklahoma State Courts Network records, the lawsuit seeks damages for negligence and lays out what the parents say happened during the overnight trip.
As detailed by NonDoc, the petition alleges that freshman players were escorted one at a time into a room where older teammates performed topless lap dances, twerked in their faces and chanted for what they called a “tit slap.” The filing also describes a series of humiliating food and body rituals, including making players eat crackers off a teammate’s belly button and perform other forced acts. The Bellers say in the suit that they were “shocked and appalled” when their daughter told them what she experienced.
Kingston Public Schools has formally denied the central allegations in a court response. Attorney John Priddy of Rosenstein Fist & Ringold filed an answer on the district’s behalf that disputes some claims outright, states the district lacks enough information to admit or deny others, and raises more than a dozen affirmative defenses. The response suggests the district may argue contributory negligence in its legal strategy, according to the Oklahoma State Courts Network.
Even as the controversy simmered, Kingston’s school board moved ahead with top-level personnel decisions. Board minutes from a meeting last month show trustees unanimously approved a three-year renewal of Superintendent Brian Brister’s contract, which includes a $6,000 raise and a $7,500 bonus for the current fiscal year. Those terms appear in the district’s public board minutes.
Investigation and criminal review
The June 2024 incident was reported to Vinita Public Schools campus police, who then asked the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to review the allegations. According to NonDoc, OSBI forwarded its investigative report to Craig County District Attorney Matt Ballard for review. Ballard’s office has confirmed receiving the report but says no criminal charges have been filed so far.
Legal implications and next steps
The Bellers’ lawsuit is a civil negligence case that seeks monetary damages from the district. Whether the same set of facts could support criminal charges will depend on how the district attorney evaluates the OSBI investigation and whether the described conduct fits Oklahoma criminal statutes. State law includes assault and child abuse provisions that can be charged as misdemeanors or felonies, depending on what occurred and the age of the alleged victims, according to state criminal code references cited in the case materials.
The lawsuit remains active in Marshall County District Court, with Judge Gregory L. Johnson assigned to the case. The Bellers are represented by attorney Tod Mercer of Mercer Law Firm, while the district is represented by Rosenstein Fist & Ringold. With the complaint and the district’s answer now on the public docket, the case will move through standard civil procedures as investigators and the district attorney continue reviewing the underlying allegations.
