The mother of an Indian Hills Elementary School student who filed a federal lawsuit alleging that her son was racially harassed and assaulted by a minority student was banned from school property hours after a meeting led to the school principal calling the police, according to public records obtained by The Inquirer.
The police report said the order prohibiting Eden Castleberry from entering any school property without prior authorization resulted from “multiple incidents” in which she acted in an “aggressive and inappropriate manner” toward staff.
But Castleberry’s attorney said the police report was inaccurate.
Her attorney, Robert Thompson, said in response to questions via email that “Eden has no history of aggressive behavior with the district or law enforcement and has never even received a warning.”
“Any suggestion that her presence that morning was a ‘confrontation’ and that she was banned from school property misrepresents her actions and background,” Thompson said. “Our concern is that the district’s response was not due to any aggressive behavior by Eden, but rather retaliation after she raised safety concerns and defended her son and other children.”
Castleberry filed the lawsuit on Nov. 19 against the school district, the Indian Hills Football Club and numerous school staff, alleging that her son, Will J, was racially harassed and ambushed after a football practice and then attacked, racially profiled and injured by several students on the school playground on Oct. 28.
Mother hopes to press charges after assault on son
Two days after the playground incident, Castleberry went to school. Thompson said Will J was treated at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for injuries including a concussion, ribs and bruised wrists, and a social worker and others told Castleberry “she needed to go to school in order to file charges for the assault on her son.”
A police report obtained by the Enquirer through a public records request shows that on the morning of Oct. 30, the school’s principal, Whitney Buell, called police after Castleberry went to the school, citing “a distraught parent.”
Just after 9 a.m. that morning, Indian Hills officials were taken to a conference room where Castleberry was speaking with the district’s chief human resources officer.
“We’re not arresting 9-year-olds” because they were too young, Indian Hills Police Officer Ryan Camardo reportedly told Castleberry.
Castleberry reportedly “disagreed” and said her attorney told her charges should be filed.
Camado then contacted the assistant prosecutor in charge of the juvenile division of the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Scott reportedly said that young children could not have had criminal intent, “and confirmed that the children involved would not be charged.”
According to the report, a school district official told Castleberry that the school “took appropriate disciplinary action” against the students involved.
But according to Thompson, Castleberry arrived at the school around 8:30 a.m. and requested police presence “because her sole purpose was to file a report and then leave.”
“Her goal was to seek appropriate accountability for what happened to her children, not to create a confrontation,” Thompson said.
Texts obtained through a public records request show Buell filed an internal report about Castleberry’s Oct. 30 visit to the school. In a text message exchange with an unnamed person, Bull said she would not be involved in the reported “fight” involving Will J.
Burr, named as a defendant in the federal lawsuit, also said the report she filed on Oct. 30 did not name the child the district identified as involved in the attack.
That same day, Castleberry was officially banned from all Indian Hill schools at the request of Principal Kirk Koennecke. She is only allowed on school property to drop off or pick up students or with prior authorization.
The lawsuit said the timing of the order froze Castleberry’s ability to defend her 9-year-old son after he was seriously injured in an October attack.
Lawsuit: Attacks culmination of months of harassment
Castleberry said the playground attack was the culmination of more than a year of racially motivated harassment against Will J, who is biracial.
Things start in the fall of 2024. The lawsuit alleges that three white students, two of whom were the sons of Will J.’s football coach, repeatedly called him a “monkey.”
A year later, on Sept. 18, 2025, two of Will J’s white football teammates “ambushed” him after football practice, the lawsuit alleges. One of them rushed at him and threw him to the ground; the other grabbed his head, threw him to the ground repeatedly, and then began to choke him while he was pinned down.
Among the allegations is that Bull told Castleberry the school was not responsible because the attack occurred after a practice with a club team that was not affiliated with the school. The lawsuit also accuses the club team’s coach of failing to take appropriate action.
Mother holds ‘Protect Your Children’ protest after alleged racial harassment, assault
After the Sept. 18 incident, Castleberry released an ad for the “Protect Your Kids” protest at the Indian Hills High School senior football game. According to email screenshots and Facebook posts obtained through a public records request, Castleberry said she hopes to expose efforts by the school district and the football club to minimize incidents at practices.
“This message is for every parent. Please protect (your) sons, especially at practice. Schools and clubs should do a better job of helping our children,” Castleberry said in an email obtained through a public records request.
Thompson said Castleberry organized the protest because she was deeply concerned about the safety of the district’s students “and what she saw as an inadequate response to serious issues affecting children.”
“The purpose is to raise awareness and advocate for better protection of students,” he said. “It focuses on the safety and responsibility of children rather than physical attacks on staff.”
Thompson said Castleberry has been active in the district as a parent, serving as a chaperone for class trips and as a recreational basketball coach. She also runs a youth basketball program.
This article originally appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer: Indian Hills school bans mother over her reaction to son’s attack
