As the national awareness of bullying becomes more prevalent, it’s no surprise that concerned parents in New York City pulled their daughter from her public school and placed her in a private school after learning that she was experience bullying at the hands of other students.
But they didn't stop at switching schools - they took the case to court. The family argued that when their 12 year-old daughter was teased for her learning disability and humiliated by other students, the faculty did nothing to protect her and end the bullying. They are demanding that the New York City Education Department pay the cost of her year at Summit School ($40,000) before the family moved to another school district in the staet.
Apparently, PS 6 Principal Lauren Fontant received complaints about bullies tripping and pushing the girl from classroom aides, but didn’t take action to stop the behavior and refused to discuss the incidents with the girl's parents.
A judge has ruled that the girl was indeed denied her educational rights, but they are doing further investigation to determine just how much the school district owes the family.
According to the New York Post, the New York City Department of Education “reimburses about $235 million a year in private-school tuition to parents who prove public schools did not adequately serve their kids with disabilities - but never before because of bullying.”
