While a report about being bullied had been e-mailed by the victim to his middle school, three months later the victim was punched in the abdomen, by the same school bully he had reported, and suffered with a very rare result – a permanent paralysis, as reported by the Washington Post.
A settlement has been reached and the Ramsey School District in New Jersey will be awarding the boy, S.R., now 18, a sum of $4.2 million.
The suit had alleged that the school knew, or should have known, that the attacker had a history of violent actions. According to the family's lawyer, Jeffrey Youngman, the district also failed to adhere to the state's anti-bullying law.
Youngman contended that the alleged school bully had punched another student in the face on a school bus a year before permanently injuring his client. The school kept no record of the bus attack or any other attacks. The suit also stated that the school did not increase the discipline against the bullying student.
Three months prior to being punched, S.R., 12 at the time, sent a letter to his guidance counselor at Eric Smith Middle School that read, "I would like to let you know that the bullying has increased. I would like to figure out some coping mechanisms to deal with these situations, and I would just like to put this on file so if something happens again, we can show that there was past bullying situations."
On May 16, 2006 S.R. was brought to his knees when the bullying student landed a harsh blow to the boy's abdomen. From home he complained of back pain only at first, yet two days later, it had worsened. His father told reporters, "We picked him up and called an ambulance. He hasn't walked since."
In what Youngman deemed was "incredibly rare" the blow resulted in a clot in a major artery. The clotted artery, needed to supply blood to S.R.'s spine, resulted in his paralysis.
The school district's insurance company had made the decision to enter into the settlement, and according to a statement from the Ramsey Board of Education, the district denies any wrongdoing. The statement read, "The district's character education and harassment/intimidation/bullying initiatives and reporting practices are leading edge. All programs in this area far exceed all of the criteria established by the state of New Jersey."
After the settlement was reached Youngman told reporters, "There is never enough money in the world that could compensate someone who is paralyzed."
The family settled an earlier suit against the boy that attacked S.R., the terms of that settlement remain confidential.
Youngman added that the New Jersey anti-bullying law – a newer law was enacted in 2011 – could only be successful if properly enforced and funded.
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