The suit alleges that the pattern of abuse over several months lead to the student’s declining grades.The parents are seeking $15,000 in damages. The suit claims that the aggressor’s parents failed to keep their son from “stalking, extorting and attacking” the teen.

The incidents that inspired the lawsuit took place in Boca Raton in 2010 while the students attended Don Estridge High Tech Middle School. The parents allege that the bullying was not addressed by the administration until they visited the school and filed a formal complaint.

Nearly a third of all middle and high school students experienced some form of bullying in the 2008-09 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. So far, every state but Montana has passed some form of anti-bullying legislation. Florida anti-bullying laws were passed in 2008.

Has your child been the victim of bullying at school? Some of the warning signs include:

• Unexplained bruises and injuries
• Missing or damaged property
• Changes in mood or appetite
• Increased isolation
• Decline in grades
• Depression or self-abuse

Contact your school immediately if you believe that your child has been the victim of bullying. If the school district does not prevent the bullying from taking place on school property, you have the right to seek legal recourse.

The Gerber Law Group, P.A. – Sarasota injury attorney