Beaufort County teacher sues parents for defamation. They said she ‘groomed’ students

A Beaufort County parent who threw chicken feed at school board members and harassed two teachers, is just one of five people who were listed in a defamation suit by a Hilton Head Island Middle School teacher last week.

Mardy Burleson, a multimedia design and engineering teacher, accused several parents and community members of labeling her as a “groomer” — defined as a predator who builds a relationship with a child to abuse them — on social media and podcasts last year, according to court filings. This followed her distribution of a student survey in her class that included a question about preferred pronouns. Burleson claims the defamation has damaged her reputation and put her safety in jeopardy.

The harassment occurred after the movement to ban books in Beaufort County schools, which garnered national media attention including from CBS News’ 60 Minutes. Many of the defendants supported the ban, claiming the 97 books pulled from school libraries were inappropriate and pornographic. Ultimately, only five books were banned.

Attorney Meg Phelan of the Equality Legal Action Fund, a group consisting of volunteer attorneys and advocates who represents educators, public officials, elected officials and members of the LGBTQ+ community against defamation, took on the case pro-bono. Phelan on behalf of Burleson is suing the following for slander and libel:

• Thomas Beach — SC State Representative for District 10

• David Cook — outspoken critic of book review process

• Michael Covert — former Beaufort County Council member who sent the list of books to district superintendent before they were pulled off shelves

• Elizabeth (Ivie) Szalai — parent who sent the list of books to district superintendent before they were pulled off shelves

• Corey Whittington (Corey Allen) — author of online blog “The Overton Report”

The defendants have not yet received the summons, according to two defendants, but the service “will be effected shortly,” said Phelan Friday morning.

The defendants accused Burleson of hiding information from parents and administrators and engaged in a public campaign against her, according to court filings.

Burleson’s survey, titled “Who is behind those eyes?” was designed to get to know her students better by asking for their preferred names and pronouns. One of the defendant’s children, a student in Burleson’s class, shared the survey with her parents. David Cook, the father of the student, raised concerns about the survey to the school administration, believing it was inappropriate and secretive, according to the court filings. Following this, the situation escalated, with Cook contacting other defendants and publicly accusing Burleson of keeping the survey secret from both parents and school administrators.

The school district is unable to comment on pending litigation, according to Beaufort County School District spokesperson Candace Bruder, but it is known that Cook is not allowed on school property after details of the harassment were made public. However, Cook is still allowed to pick-up and drop-off his children and attend school board meetings. For any additional access to school campuses, he must contact Director of Protective Services David Grissom.

The other defendants, especially Whittington and Covert, used social media and their podcasts to spread defamatory claims, accusing Burleson of “grooming” students and promoting an “overtly sexualized lifestyle,” according to the court filings. Whittington published blog posts and social media content, referring to Burleson as a “groomer,” while Covert shared these claims on his podcast and social media. These accusations were repeated by other defendants, including Szalai and Beach, who reposted and commented on the claims.

Burleson alleges that the defendants’ statements were false and defamatory, damaging her reputation as a teacher and causing significant emotional distress. The accusations were made with malice and the intent to harm her, both personally and professionally, according to the court filings. The defendants continued to make these defamatory statements, even after Burleson addressed the concerns raised by Cook and amended the survey to prevent further conflict.

“No American deserves to be the target of disinformation, defamation, harassment and intimidation,” Phelan said. “So, what we are trying to do is show extremists that not all speech is protected under the First amendment. We cannot use defamatory language with impunity.”

In addition to defamation, Burleson argues that the defendants’ accusations of grooming were particularly damaging because they falsely implied criminal conduct involving sexual abuse of minors. The defendants portrayed Burleson as someone unfit to be around children, which could lead to serious consequences, including the loss of her teaching position, damage to her professional standing and even legal ramifications.

The court filings details how the defendants continued their public campaign against Burleson across social media platforms, podcasts and even school board meetings, calling for her removal as a teacher. Burleson claims that these actions have not only harmed her professional reputation but also caused her personal anguish, fearing for her safety and that of her family, especially after her child was mentioned in these defamatory attacks.

Burleson is seeking damages from the defendants for slander and libel, arguing that their false statements have caused irreparable harm to her reputation and well-being, according to the court filings. She is asking for actual and special damages, as well as punitive damages, to deter the defendants from engaging in such behavior in the future.