In May 2021, when Michael was in seventh grade, the family alleges a student who had been harassing Michael for a year began telling classmates that he had a gun and a list of people he was going to kill, and Michael was on the list. In middle school, Coppola said the problems worsened. Later in the school year, Michael was “reprimanded in front of his peers by his orchestra teacher for wearing heeled shoes to his first violin concert,” causing him “extreme embarrassment and distress over what he thought was an innocent and harmless expression of his identity,” the Coppola's demand letter said. Michael's family alleges the cousin of a student who had been in Michael’s fourth grade class began to bully him and called him homophobic slurs in Instagram messages, which the Coppolas shared with NBC News.
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During a conference call with Principal Joseph Ierano and the school psychologist, Coppola said Ierano told her and her husband “not everyone is going to be nice to your son,” and that Michael “has to learn how to deal with that, and he has you to support him.” The district declined all comment, including NBC News’ request to Ierano.Īt Mills Pond Elementary, where Michael transferred for fifth grade, Coppola said the situation didn’t improve. Then in June 2018, Michael told his parents that some of his peers had formed an “I hate Michael” club. The school administered consequences to the offender and assigned a full-time aide to monitor his behavior, according to the documents, although Coppola alleged that the aide often monitored Michael’s behavior as well. According to documents Coppola shared with NBC News, the school district investigated and found the allegations to be true. Toward the end of fourth grade, in May 2018, Coppola said she and her husband filed their first complaint under the Dignity for All Students Act, a New York anti-bullying law, after a classmate allegedly threatened to strangle Michael. When Michael was in first grade, he told his parents that he felt “more like a girl than a boy.” His parents were supportive, and they began what they describe as Michael’s “gender journey.” They found a psychologist who diagnosed Michael with gender dysphoria, a conflict between his assigned sex at birth, male, and and his gender identity, which is more feminine. The Coppolas say their fight has taken place amid a larger push for LGBTQ acceptance in their town, and it’s just one example of a nationwide trend: Schools, even in states that are thought of as largely liberal, are struggling to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students amid a new wave of pushback from parents who believe LGBTQ topics are inappropriate for school. In response to multiple requests for comment, Superintendent Mark Secaur said the district does not comment on pending litigation. They recently filed a complaint with the New York Division of Human Rights, alleging that the district had discriminated against Michael because of his sexual orientation and gender identity. Over the past year, things came to a head as Michael’s parents began a legal battle with the Smithtown Central School District about the bullying ahead of Michael when he started high school. His parents, Diane and Mike Coppola, said students have called Michael anti-LGBTQ slurs, thrown objects at him, threatened him and physically abused him.
Michael, an eighth grader at Great Hollow Middle School in Smithtown, New York, said his classmates first began to harass and bully him in elementary school over his perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. Michael Coppola sings "Let It Go" during a voice lesson. The transformative moment combined with the song’s message to stay true to yourself struck Michael and his family as symbolic after what Michael has been through. Cheers erupted from the crowd, and Michael’s tension eased. He wore a dark blue dress, and as he began to sing the song’s chorus, everything worked out perfectly: He shed the midnight blue dress and revealed a bright blue, sparkling gown. During the April performance of “Frozen Jr.,” Michael walked up the steps of a raised platform for his big moment.