You, as a parent, always want the best for your child. You want your child to obtain the finest education you can give her or him. You want your child to have good friends, to be well- liked and, most of all, to be happy. Your child is your future and you want your child to have more than you did. When your child is unhappy, so are you. When your child suffers, you suffer along with him or her, wanting to fix the struggle. When the problem is at school and involves other children, teachers, or coaches, the school, after receiving notice, should acknowledge and fix the conflict to ensure that your child feels safe and is happy, once again. At times, despite knowing about a problem, a school fails to act in a way that lives up to its obligation. It happens in all schools, regardless of grade, and irrespective of whether it is public, private, or religiously affiliated.
When your child is bullied in school or is accused of bullying, the school has several obligations. It has obligations to follow the parent-teacher handbook and any harassment, intimidation, or bullying policy it created, regardless of whether it is a public or private school. Schools are also obligated under New Jersey tort law and public schools must follow the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination in cases where the bullying is based on sex, sexual orientation, perceived sexual orientation, disability, perceived disability, race, ethnicity, religion or creed.
The school and civil rights attorneys at Peri Stewart Malia have experience litigating bullying in schools. We are committed to holding schools, school professionals and educators accountable for their failures to follow the New Jersey Anti-Bullying Law and to correctly prevent, investigate and respond to school bullying, cyberbullying and bias-based or discriminatory bullying. We have experience representing the victim as well as the accused. Call us today to see if we can help work with you to solve your child’s school related problems.