As reported by PIX 11 from Brooklyn, New York, the family of a boy beaten and blinded in one eye, due to an attack by 7th graders in his school, has filed a
personal injury lawsuit against the city for its failure to protect the student from bullies.
It was not the first time that 14 year-old K.U. had been targeted by bullies at Junior High School 78 in Bergen Beach; it was the worst time. From his family's attorney's office K.U. said, "I can't see from my right eye. And I don't feel very good because I can't see from it and I want to see from it."
Allegedly, on June 5, two 7th grade boys, that K.U. refers to as his bullies, beat him so badly that his right eye was permanently damaged. His father, P.U., said, "He's going to have to have an eye transplant. There's no guarantee he's going to see again in the right eye."
A report by the Department of Education stated that the beating occurred in the school's cafeteria at approximately 8 in the morning. The suit states that one 7th grade student held K.U. down and beat him. Soon he was followed by another 7th grade student. The two also screamed anti-gay slurs at K.U. during the beating.
In the course of the attack, K.U.'s eyeglasses were smashed, leaving his right eye open to damage.
Since the attack, K.U. has endured three surgeries on his eye.
P.U. alleges that this was not the first time his son was beaten up, during a previous attack his left eye had been damaged. P.U. said, "They kept asking him for money, and he refused. (They) jump on him, (and) beat him up. ...I've been complaining about bullying that's happened many, many times before."
Jacek Polubiec, the principal at K.U.'s school, recently posted a blog boasting the "no bully zone" and that "the anti-bullying policy and peer mediation program play a big role in the school culture."
School Chancellor Dennis Walcott defended Polubiec by telling reporters that he ended the attack and disciplined the accused.
The two boys will be facing a juvenile criminal trial.
Walcott said, "I don't think there's anything extraordinary happening at the school as far as more bullying taking place at one school as opposed to another. So we're going to follow up and our staff are going to stay on top of it, police are involved."
P.U. was not satisfied by Walcott's reassurances and said, "If they were doing what they were supposed to be doing, my child would never have lost the right eye."
Along with the physical suffering, according to the family, K.U. was "meant to (be) hurt" by the comments regarding his sexual orientation.
Damages are sought at $16 million.
If your child has been hurt on a school campus you have grounds for a lawsuit. Begin to recover your damages when you contact a personal injury lawyer and file your suit.