Parents of teen who committed suicide sue school, district

By the CNN Wire Staff STORY HIGHLIGHTSThe boy's mother files a federal lawsuit against a Texas school districtShe says the staff failed to protect Asher Brown, 13Asher had told his mother and stepfather that he was taunted, they claim (CNN) -- The mother of a Texas teenager who committed suicide last year filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday, arguing the school he attended did nothing after receiving complaints he was being bullied.

Asher Brown, 13, an eighth-grader at Hamilton Middle School, shot himself to death at home last fall.

Amy Truong, Asher's mother, also names Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District in the lawsuit. She argues the middle school staff witnessed some incidents of bullying, physical assaults and name-calling against her son. Despite a policy on bullying and harassment, the suit states, district personnel "had an actual practice and custom of looking the other way."

Last year, Truong and the boy's stepfather told CNN's Anderson Cooper that Asher was bullied because he was small, did not wear fashionable clothing and was a Buddhist. They also said Asher told them he was gay and had received taunts about his sexuality.

The school district had no immediate reaction Tuesday. According to the lawsuit, it has stated there was no evidence of any bullying or complaints filed on behalf of Asher. But the lawsuit says his stepfather, David Truong, went to the school district to talk about Asher being bullied.

The Truongs said they are lobbying the Texas Legislature for anti-bullying reform legislation, according to CNN affiliate KPRC.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified punitive damages and asks that the school adopt a policy known as "Asher's Rule" in which students can confidentially report bullying and harassment.

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Michelle Obama's Former Congressional District Ranks Last for Healthy Behavior, Study Finds

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Michelle Obama's campaign to get Americans to eat healthier apparently hasn't reached the congressional district she and President Obama used to call home.

The 1st Congressional District of Illinois ranks dead last in the nation for "healthy behavior," according to a new study released by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

The index measured 436 districts, including the 435 U.S. congressional districts and the District of Columbia. The Obamas' former district ranked 436th in 2010, down from 408 in 2009, the first year the Obamas were in the White House.

The top 10 congressional districts for "healthy behavior" were in California. The state's 46th district, which Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher represents, ranked No. 1 and its 14th district, represented by Democratic Rep. Anna Eshoo came in second.

The second worst congressional district for "healthy behavior" was Kentucky's 5th district, represented by Republican Rep. Hal Rogers, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. CNSNews.com, which was first to report the survey, suggested that is no surprise since as chairman, Rogers oversees congressional pork -- federal spending on lawmakers' pet projects in their home districts.

The Well-Being Index is the product of a partnership created in 2008 between the polling company Gallup and the health-care company Healthways to develop a system for methodically measuring the well-being of Americans.

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