School bullies have been an issue in California and elsewhere for a very long time. In recent years, it seems that some of the bullying has become more violent, and schools have been encouraged to take preventive measures. In one instance, complaints of bullying by a student were not promptly acted upon, and the delay may have cost the student his life due to a traumatic brain injury.
A middle school student complained to a teacher that he had been punched in the chest. The teacher took the complaint to the assistant principal and encouraged the administrator to review security footage that might show the attack. The following day, the student and his guardian met with the school administrator. The administrator claimed to know the identity of the assailants and reportedly stated that they would be suspended within a short period.
The student who had been attacked returned to school the day the suspension was to have begun. The students who had reportedly attacked him previously were also there, and a subsequent attack occurred, during which the student’s head was slammed against a concrete pillar. He lost consciousness as a result of the attack and never regained it. He died about a week after of the attack. His guardians have brought a $100 million lawsuit against the school district.
Schools in California should be safe places where children can learn, both academically and also as functioning members of society. Bullying is not conducive to either form of learning. If a child complains of being bullied at school, the complaints deserve to be taken seriously. Failure to do so could result in more deaths due to traumatic brain injury.