In an all too common act, one young girl sought a way to permanently escape the incessant harassment and bullying she endured at school. Once an active and kind child, the girl faced daily taunting in her New York middle school. On the day after Christmas, she took her own life by hanging. One year later, the girl’s mother has chosen her own course of action and filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the school her daughter attended.
The seventh grader apparently complained to the school on numerous occasions that she was being bullied and cyber-bullied by classmates. Apparently, high school students also joined in the taunting. By law, the school is required to document and report every incident of bullying. However, no action was taken to stop the abuse.
In fact, court papers say that the school administration advised the student to manage the situation on her own by deleting her social media account and other options. She often skipped her first period class where bullying and death threats consistently occurred. Harassment apparently took place both on school property and off school grounds. The mother of the 12-year-old girl believes that her daughter took her own life because the school offered her no other recourse.
The lawsuit contends that the New York school failed in its duty to provide a safe environment for her child. As many parents do when their children die due to the apparent negligence of others, this mother contacted a lawyer to assist her in seeking justice. The wrongful death claim she filed seeks to hold those people responsible who should have protected her daughter.
Source: leaderherald.com, “Mother files lawsuit against Gloversville school district“, Mike Anich, Jan. 9, 2017