Miltenberg, Vinci, Peress: “Suburban Family Files Lawsuit Claiming School District Didn’t Do Enough for Child Who Was Bullied,” Fox 32 Chicago

10.7.21

A suburban student who said she was bullied at school is taking her case to court. A Gardner family filed a civil lawsuit claiming a school district did not do enough for a 7th grader who was bullied. Charlee Funes says another girl pulled her hair, tripped her and pushed her to the ground during PE class. Now, the family has filed a lawsuit naming the superintendent, athletic director, school board and school district as defendants. They said they failed to follow due process and violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit claims the school district knew of the combative relationship between the two girls, but never tried to remedy the issue. “I just really want to make people realize it’s wrong and that way parents can teach their kids not to do it,” said Charlee Funes. The family is seeking monetary damages in the lawsuit, but really, they say, they just want to see the district make changes and pay attention to bullying instances. The school Supt. Dr. Michael Merritt wrote in response to the lawsuit: “The safety of all students is our utmost concern. The District fully investigates all bullying allegations and takes appropriate action based on the investigation.” He added that he can’t comment further because the district hasn’t received the suit yet.

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