The grandmother of a Leith Walk Elementary boy is suing the Baltimore public school system, the city school board, the city government, and the Northeast Baltimore school for Maryland injuries to a minor. The child, age 9, tried to commit suicide last September after his teacher refused to pay attention to his complaints that he was being bullied.
The 9-year-old, who attends a special education class and has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, reportedly had been bullied since he started studying at the school. The Baltimore personal injury complaint accuses the boy’s teacher of gross negligence, claiming that before rushing to save the boy, who was hanging from the classroom door coat hanger with the chair kicked from underneath him, she first stopped to take photos of him with the camera on her phone.
Bullying
The issue of bullying in schools has always been a problem, but the repercussions can no longer be ignored. On January 14, 2010 Phoebe Prince, an Irish teenager who moved to the US, was found after she hung herself from the stairwell at her home. She reportedly could no longer take the bullying she’d been experiencing at school. Six teens have been criminally charged with having allegedly committed crimes that led to her suicide.
Also in Baltimore last month, a third grader at Gilmor Elementary School threatened to jump out the window and kill herself to get away from bullies. Her mother, Geneva Biggus, says that the school wasn’t very responsive to her complaints that the girl had been the victim of bullying for months.
Bullying can cause serious physical and emotional injuries. We can no longer consider bullying a childish game and schools must take steps to prevent students from becoming victims of any type of violence. It is important that you speak with a Baltimore injury lawyer to explore your legal options.
School Bullying, Attempted Hanging Leads To Lawsuit, WBAL, March 1, 2010
City school system sued over boy’s attempted hanging, Baltimore Sun, April 30, 2010
Girl’s suicide increases urgency to prevent teen bullying, The Seattle Times, March 30, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Bullying, National Crime Prevention Council