Last year Mentor schools landed in the headlines after a wave of student suicides. Parents alleged the deaths were precipitated by school hall bullying, and a few filed suit to hold the district accountable. Yesterday a Federal judge dismissed the lawsuit filed by the parents of one dead teen, ruling the district is not responsible for the actions of asshole kids.
According to the News-Herald, U.S. District Court Judge Donald C. Nugent tossed the suit with the following legal logic: “[A]lthough it is certainly reasonable for parents to expect that the school will do its best to protect their children while they are under the school’s supervision, the law does not elevate this expectation to a constitutional guarantee.”
This article appears in Jun 22-28, 2011.
When you send your children to school you have an expectation that the school will do all it can to protect that child and their safety. Schools should impose long suspensions or expulsion for kids that are bullies and maybe that will promt the bullies parents to actually parent their children and teach them that this kind of behavior is not acceptable in any environment. Shame on those parents already for not teaching them these fundamentals at a very young age ! It is not a teachers job to parent your asshole children but should be the teachers right to remove any student it sees fit as a bully or otherwise.
The trend today is to reward the jackasses and ignore the good kid.The ones who cause trouble gets extra help to pass and one on one attention.The good kid is ignored.The bad kid gets his own special school because he can not fit in–the good kid is ignored–you noticed I said good not popular.There is a cast system in schools and the bottom of the cast is usually fed upon by the bully’s and the popular kids–a lot of the “popular kids are the bullies.When you complain to a teacher they will most likely tell you to stop complaining it will stop–when it does not and you complain again you are labeled a whiner by the administration and nothing is done.The bully just keeps plugging away and making a person he has targeted miserable.So in the end the good kid kills himself and the bully moves on to another victim with no remorse.The bully gets all the breaks–people band with him because they don’t want to be his next victim.Most bullies will go on to beat their wives or commit a crime.But hey its just boys or girls having fun right Mr. Principle.No wonder home schooling is so popular and public schools are suffering.EVERY teacher and administrator knows the bullies in their system but yet they do nothing.How many more have to die before they wake up and do something.First time it happens it should be dealt with not after someone dies then you get sued- I am glad my children did not attend that school system….seems they have a bunch of ostriches with their heads in the sand or placed elsewhere running the place.
When I went to Lincoln Junior High on Scranton Rd. in the early 70’s.
You didnt worry about bullies. Some of the male teachers where alcoholics.’
A couple were pure Sadists they would slam you ass up againt a brick wall in a second
Bullying has been around long before all of us. I was bullied at times (haven’t we all?), yet I seemed to turn out okay. Perhaps children in today’s society have become so trained to believe that “everything should be fair and even”, that they can’t accept the fact that they are considered “losers” by their peers.
Teachers have a duty to protect the students from violence in the school, mentally and physically. But ultimately, it is the parents job to take an active role in their child’s lives to nip problems in the rear before they grow into situations like suicide.
Eric’s Dad and Uncle were classmates of mine in elementary school at Southlyn in Lyndhurst / South Euclid in the 1960’s. I moved away to Chardon in the 6th grade but I remember how nice the brothers were. I can remember when they moved in and a wonderful birthday party. They probably don’t remember but I do and have missed the friendships we made a long time ago. School is difficult for everyone and I wish the people in Mentor had provided the same kindness to Eric that his family had provided to others when they were young. I have followed this story for years with sadness and today is another sad day in this story. This is about making sure this never happens again. It is sad we can not recapture the kindness and respect of the 60’s. Bob and Bill I am so sorry for your loss. Bill R.
Judge Nugent is an idiot, that’s all I got to say!
Every child has a right to feel safe at school. The bully’s are the “losers”. Judge Nugent shame on you
Mr. Swenson, is the profanity at the end of the first paragraph really necessary? Look, I’m not a prude, but let me ask you a question. Do you think that kind of writing elevates you or the organization you work for? Do you think using that kind of language makes you and your newspaper look cool or hip? You write for a living. You’re a wordsmith. Act like it. Buy a thesaurus or find one online, and use it.
This boy suffered the worst kind of emotional pain he could have suffered. I feel terrible for him, but, it’s his parent’s fault for sending to the school everyday for endless torture.
They should have kept him home or found another school. Home schooling is legal.
That poor boy…..
And, Nugent is an asshole, but on this one, he may be correct. How much did the school know? To what extent is it equipped to isolate and protect vulnerable students?
It’s really his parents’ fault. They should have removed him from the school.