Parents of teen who died on school-sponsored hiking trip sue in federal court

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The parents of a 17-year-old Maine boy who died on a school-sponsored hiking and camping trip are suing the school district and two staff members.

The lawsuit contends Michael Strecker had limited access to water while hiking and that his pleas to turn back were ignored before he vomited and eventually lost consciousness in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest in 2021. The lawsuit contends Strecker died from a heat stroke and that the defendants were negligent.

The seniors from Lake Region High School were on a hike on South Baldface Mountain in September of 2021.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Portland by Strecker’s parents — Amy Tait of Casco, Maine, and Christopher Strecker of Chester, Vermont — alleges that students and staff weren’t properly trained or equipped for the trip, that Strecker’s requests to turn back were ignored and that his access to water was restricted.

Named in the lawsuit are Maine School Administrative District 61; Superintendent Alan Smith; and humanities teacher Jessica Daggett, who was a chaperone. They didn’t respond to an email seeking comment on Monday.