DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Iowa are investigating allegations that high school students repeatedly hit one of their classmates in the head with footballs. The teenager and his grandmother filed a lawsuit last week saying the attack in October at Bedford High School in southwest Iowa resulted in severe brain injuries and permanent disabilities.

Iowa Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Jessica Lown said Tuesday that the agency has launched a criminal investigation. An agent will turn over information to a prosecutor, who will decide whether to file charges. The lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Des Moines alleges that school administrators didn’t do enough to protect the boy from repeated bullying.

Bedford Community School District Superintendent Joe Drake, who is named in the lawsuit, told the Omaha World-Herald, investigators have informed him that there was no wrongdoing by students or staff. Drake says student safety is a priority and the school investigates all reports of bullying or harassment.