A lawsuit filed by the parents of a Casco teenager who died during an MSAD 61 school overnight hiking trip has been dismissed.
Amy Tait of Casco and Christopher Strecker of Chester, Vermont, filed the lawsuit against MSAD 61 in U.S. District Court in Portland in August of 2023, claiming that the students and staff weren’t properly trained, equipped or prepared for the hike, and that school staff pushed their son to complete the hike.
Michael Strecker, 17, died on Sept. 12, 2021, while hiking South Baldface Mountain in North Chatham, New Hampshire.
U.S. District Judge Lance Walker dismissed the case on Friday, after coming to the conclusion that the lawsuit had failed to provide evidence that the school engaged in illegal actions, the Portland Press Herald reported.
Walker noted that he did not see any evidence that the school district ignored a problem and pushed Michael Strecker to continue hiking until he “vomited and lost consciousness,” observing that the school district did not require the students to complete the trek.
In Friday’s dismissal, Walker acknowledged that Strecker’s death revealed shortcomings in the school’s trip planning, including the lack of automated external defibrillators (AED’s) and the lack of adequate water.
Tair and Christopher Strecker are planning to appeal the Friday ruling, according to the Press Herald.
