You step into a story that started in a small Florida high school and quickly spun into national headlines. Three teens who had private hypnosis sessions with their principal died within weeks of one another, and families, the school district, and the public demanded answers about what went wrong. You will learn who was involved, what the school official admitted, and how the district ultimately responded with a settlement.
This piece walks through the key events at North Port High School, the principal’s unlicensed hypnosis practices, and the legal and cultural fallout that followed, so you can see how a classroom activity became a complex tragedy that prompted scrutiny and change.
The Hypnosis Tragedy: What Happened at North Port High School
Three teenagers who had private hypnosis sessions with their principal died within weeks of one another in 2011. The incidents involved methods the principal taught and a district investigation that later revealed he had hypnotized many students and staff.
Timeline of the Student Deaths
Wesley McKinley, 16, met with North Port High School principal Dr. George Kenney for a private hypnosis session the day before he died by suicide in April 2011. Weeks earlier or later, 17-year-old Brittany Palumbo also died by suicide after having been hypnotized by Kenney in private sessions. Marcus Freeman, 16, died in a fatal car crash after reportedly using self-hypnosis techniques he learned from Kenney.
Authorities and the school district linked all three students to hypnosis sessions with the principal. The clustering of deaths prompted a formal inquiry and media attention that spread beyond the local community.
How the Hypnosis Sessions Were Conducted
Dr. George Kenney, who served as North Port High School principal, performed one-on-one hypnosis sessions with students, staff and community members. Accounts indicate he conducted dozens of sessions over several years and taught techniques for self-hypnosis and visualization intended to improve focus or reduce stress…