Most parents presume that when they walk their children to the bus stop or drop them off at school, their children will be relatively safe and protected from violent assaults. Unfortunately, bullying of students by fellow students is on the rise. While a parent may reasonably assume that all that is needed to stop bullying of their child is to alert school administrators of the problem, sometimes administrators or teachers do not take sufficient action to protect children in their care.
A recent New York case in which a fourteen-year-old eighth grade boy may have permanently lost his vision in one eye serves as an example of the seriousness of the problem. The boy suffered damage to his cornea in a brutal attack by bullies in the school cafeteria. The parents say that the boy repeatedly informed the principle of prior attacks, but the boy’s $16 million lawsuit alleges that school administrators were “negligent” and “inept” in failing to take adequate action to protect the boy. He has had to undergo two surgeries on his eye, and his vision loss in the eye may be permanent.
While it may be tempting to dismiss this brutal attack as something that happens in big cities like New York, the statistics on bullying make it clear that kids across the country are increasingly at risk of being physically attacked when school officials fail to provide adequate supervision, security or remedial action.
- Over half of all school students report witnessing a bullying crime like a physical assault or battery.
- More than seventy percent of children report bullying at school as an ongoing problem.
- Ten percent of all students report seeing a student with a gun at school.
- Approximately 280,000 kids per month report being physically attacked at school.
When you entrust your child to the supervision of school officials, it reasonable to presume that effective measures will be taken to prevent or remedy bullying so that your child does not suffer serious injury. When school administrators ignore incidents involving hitting, punching, kicking and attacking students in their care, the school district may be liable if school officials fail to take adequate steps to prevent injury to students caused by bullies. If your child has been attacked, it is important to put school administrators on notice immediately because they have a legal duty to take appropriate action to reduce the risk of future bullying incidents.
If your child has suffered serious injury because of the failure of school administrators to take reasonable action to prevent bullying, our experienced Mississippi personal injury attorneys may be able to help. At Barrett Law, our experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyers represent injury victims throughout Mississippi. Our law firm has roots that reach back 75 years so contact us today for your free initial consultation at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.
