Longwood graduate alleges Tourette syndrome discrimination, lawsuit filed against district

Magdalyn Abcug, a recently graduated 18-year-old from Longwood High School in Middle Island, says school staff mocked her and questioned whether she really had Tourette syndrome. She has now sued the Longwood Central School District and the Longwood Central School District Board of Education in federal court, putting the district’s handling of disability accommodations under scrutiny.

The case, Abcug v. Longwood Central School District et al., was filed June 11, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Abcug alleges that Longwood employees did more than fail to understand her diagnosis: she says they mocked her and challenged the legitimacy of her Tourette syndrome while the district failed to follow her 504 plan.

A 504 plan is intended to provide school accommodations for a student’s medical conditions and ensure access to education. Abcug’s allegations suggest the protections she says she was entitled to were not carried out as she navigated Longwood High School. The complaint names the district and its board as defendants, turning what began as a student complaint into a legal challenge over whether district personnel met their obligations.

Longwood’s own public materials say the district is committed to providing a safe, supportive and orderly learning environment. The district lists Lance Lohman, Ed.D., as superintendent of schools and Dr. Sam Ahmed as principal of Longwood High School. Those details sharpen the focus on whether the district’s written standards matched the experience Abcug says she lived inside the school system.

The broader issue reaches beyond one student’s graduation year. The U.S. Department of Education says Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act bars disability discrimination in federally funded programs. The Tourette Association of America says 504 plans are legal documents that must be followed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says children with Tourette syndrome can be teased, bullied or rejected at school and may need supports such as different seating, extra time on tests or computer accommodations for writing.

For Suffolk families, the case raises a familiar question with high stakes: when a student has a diagnosed condition and a formal accommodation plan, do school adults follow it consistently, or does the paperwork fail when the student needs it most? The allegations now sit before a federal court, where the district’s response and the record of how Longwood handled Abcug’s needs will determine what comes next.