it is contributing to creating a hostile, toxic environment. >> reporter: but superintendent dennis carlson says the district has a comprehensive bullying policy and has piloted a bullying tip line. he has the neutrality policy is a reasonable response to a divided community. >> it is a diverse community and what i try to do as superintendent is walk down the middle of the road. >> if they're going to hell, i'm going with them. >> reporter: a middle of the road approach that's pitting parents against parents. >> a policy -- >> you're out of line. >> you're out of line, too, sir. >> i mean this idea of check your identity at the door, would you tolerate that? >> we are not advocating that we teach homosexuality, that we teach anything other than tolerance. >> i don't need to be promoting a particular point of view on that. parents have a right to raise their children the way they want to and the school district doesn't need to be sitting there telling kids your parents are wrong. >> i know you're in support of the sexual orientation policy and i'm just hoping you'll tell me why. some local c

in a school newsletter and in a voice mail to staff, superintendent dennis carlson denies any connectionlying and the suicides. >> based on all of the information that we've been able to gather, son of the suicides were connected to incidents of bullying or harassment. >> reporter: a statement that angered family and friends. >> i just kept thinking, liar, liar, liar, because there's totally a connection. >> was the bullying part of the reason, you think, erica, that your best friend killed herself? >> most definitely, there's no question about it. >> did the school district talk to you after samantha committed suicide? >> i never once got talked to. >> what bothered me most is nobody asked us. >> we have dozens of people that are looking into each one of those suicides. they talked to as many people as they can surrounding that suicide. >> reporter: we asked superintendent carlson why no one talked to samantha's mother or her best friend. they feel like, dennis, an investigation or review wasn't done. >> we did not do a formal investigation. we would only do a formal investigation if th

in a school newsletter, and in a voice mail to staff, the superintendent dennis carlson denies any connectionlying and the suicides. >> based on all of the information we've been able to gather, none of the suicides were connected to incidents of bullying or harassment. >> reporter: a statement that angered family and friends. >> i kept thinking, you liar, liar, liar, because there's totally a connection. >> was the bullying part of the reason, you think, erica, that your best friend killed herself? >> most definitely, there's no question about it. >> did the school district talk to you after samantha committed suicide? >> i never once got talked to. >> what bothered me most is that nobody asked us. >> we have dozens of people that are looking into each one of those suicides. they talked to as many people as they can surrounding that suicide. >> reporter: we asked superintendent carlson why no one talked to samantha's mother or her best friend. they feel like, dennis, an investigation or review wasn't done. >> we did not do a formal investigation. we would only do a formal investigation if th

first place. >> reporter: in a school newsletter, and in a voice mail to staff, superintendent dennis carlson denies any connection between bullying and the suicides. >> based on all of the information we've been able to gather, none of the suicides were connected to incidents of bullying or harassment". >> reporter: carlson says the district has a comprehensive bullying policy and has piloted a bullying tip line. he says the neutrality policy is a reasonable response to a divided community. >> it's a diverse community. and what i try to do as superintendent is walk down the middle of the road. >> reporter: but one teacher is heady to take on the district. >> are you afraid that you could lose your job just being here talking about this? >> realistically? yeah. >> poppy harlow joins us now. it is a heart-breaking story just listening to that mother. poppy, what is the latest on the advocacy groups that have threatened to file a federal lawsuit against this school district? >> reporter: just today the school district if minnesota said they're going to keep no question about it right now the ne

. >> reporter: in a school newsletter and in a voice mail to staff, superintendent dennis carlson deniesconnection between bullying and the suicides. >> based on all. information we've been able to gather, none of the suicides were connected to incidents of bullying or harassment. >> reporter: carlson says the district has a comprehensive bullying policy and that is piloted a bullying tip line. he says the neutrality policy is a reasonable response to a divided community. >> it's a diverse community, and what i try to do as superintendent is walk down the middle of the road. >> reporter: but one teacher is ready to take on the district. are you afraid that you could lose your job just being here talking about this? >> realistically, yeah. >> reporter: randi, just today two civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against that school district challenging the neutrality policy. this comes after the anoka school district announced it's keeping the policy in place but also asked the advocacy groups to assist them in training school staff to support their gay students, but that apparently is not g