School bullies will take notice if their peers are convicted in criminal court.
Phoebe Prince, the first-year student at West Hadley High School in Massachusetts committed suicide after relentless bullying. This story has been covered by media around the country for the past several weeks.
This truly is a tragedy that has the ingredients to fashion a major advance in student rights.
Elizabeth D. Scheible, a district attorney in Massachusetts is taking on Phoebe’s bullies through the criminal justice system. At least nine teenagers identified in the bullying tragedy are facing criminal charges, including criminal harassment which carries with it a two and one-half-year jail sentence a fine, or both.
Elizabeth D. Scheible, a district attorney in Massachusetts is taking on Phoebe’s bullies through the criminal justice system. At least nine teenagers identified in the bullying tragedy are facing criminal charges, including criminal harassment which carries with it a two and one-half-year jail sentence a fine, or both.
Now, Phoebe’s parents are suing the school in civil court. Schools have a duty to protect children from the harms of bullying. If the school administrators had knowledge of the harassment, bullying and intimidation of Phoebe by her classmates and didn’t act reasonably to stop it, they can be held liable for her death.
Civil lawsuits have been the norm. But now, in addition to civil suits, if their state laws cover criminal harassment, prosecutors can file criminal charges against individual students. If convicted, these students can spend time in jail.
This new arsenal in the assault on school bullying requires strong criminal harassment laws and prosecutors who apply those laws to the outrage of harassment in schools.
If the case in Massachusetts leads to convictions and jail time for Phoebe’s bullies this will user in a shift in student rights – one that will provide students protection under both the civil and criminal justice system.
Keep an eye on Massachusetts.
