The Georgia Court of Appeals heard arguments Tuesday in the case of a 13-year-old Hall County boy who hanged himself inside a school for emotionally challenged children.

A lawsuit filed by the parents of Jonathan King was dismissed in January by Superior Court Judge C. Andrew Fuller, who ruled that the plaintiffs could not show Alpine Psychoeducational Program or its supervisory agency, Pioneer Regional Educational Service Agency, violated any of the child’s constitutional rights.

The Kings have appealed Fuller’s decision to the Court of Appeals, leading to Tuesday’s oral arguments in Atlanta.

According to court records and testimony, Jonathan became unruly and was placed in a seclusion room at the Athens Street facility in November 2004.

Earlier in the day, a school employee gave the boy a rope to keep his pants up. The rope was used in the hanging.

The Kings did not sue the school for negligence, but sued instead under a specific federal civil rights law. Fuller ruled that the law did not apply in Jonathan’s case because the school did not exercise any policy, procedure or custom that violated Jonathan’s rights.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the Court of Appeals will issue its ruling at a later date.