Helping Families Address Serious School Bullying

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No parent should have to watch their child suffer because of persistent bullying, harassment, or intimidation at school. When a child is being targeted, parents expect teachers, administrators, and school officials to take their concerns seriously and take appropriate steps to protect their child.

Unfortunately, that does not always happen.

At the Law Offices of Schwartz & Arminavage, our attorneys represent families in serious bullying and harassment matters involving Maryland schools. We understand that these cases are about more than what happens in the classroom. Persistent bullying can affect a child's education, relationships, sense of security, and overall well-being—and the experience can be overwhelming for the entire family.

Our attorneys take a compassionate and individualized approach to these cases. We take the time to understand what happened, what the school knew, how it responded, and how the bullying affected the child. From there, we evaluate the family's legal options and develop a strategy designed around the circumstances of the individual case.

Not every incident of bullying creates a lawsuit against a school or school district. In fact, most don’t. These cases are highly dependent on the particular facts and applicable law.

Potential legal issues may arise, however, when serious or repeated bullying occurs, and school officials allegedly fail to respond appropriately despite having knowledge of the problem.

In reviewing a potential bullying case, our attorneys typically consider:

• How long the bullying occurred;
• The nature and severity of the conduct;
• Whether the bullying involved threats or physical violence;
• Whether teachers or administrators knew about prior incidents;
• How many times the student or parents reported the problem;
• How the school investigated those reports;
• What steps the school took in response;
• Whether the bullying continued after the school was notified;
• Whether the child suffered physical, educational, or other legally recognized      harm; and
• Whether discrimination, harassment, or other violations of state or federal law were involved.

The existence of bullying alone does not necessarily establish liability. Determining whether legal action may be available requires a careful examination of the school's knowledge, conduct, legal obligations, and the harm suffered by the student.

Bullying often goes far beyond name-calling or teasing. Students may experience pushing, hitting, fighting, threats of violence, intimidation, destruction of property, unwanted physical contact, or other aggressive behavior.

When physical bullying occurs repeatedly, the school's response history can become particularly important. Our attorneys carefully review incident reports, disciplinary records, communications with school officials, witness accounts, and other available evidence to understand how the situation developed and how the school responded.

Bullying and harassment cases do not always involve another student.

A child may experience inappropriate, intimidating, discriminatory, or harassing conduct from a teacher, coach, administrator, or other school employee.

Claims involving school employees can present different legal and factual questions from student-on-student bullying. Our attorneys examine who was involved, the nature of the conduct, whether other school officials knew about it, what actions were taken in response, and what legal protections may apply.

Documentation can become extremely important when a bullying problem continues over time.

Parents should consider maintaining records of incidents and communications concerning the bullying, including:

• Emails and messages with teachers or administrators;
• Formal bullying or harassment reports;
• Dates and descriptions of incidents;
• Photographs of injuries or damaged property;
• Screenshots of social media posts or messages;
• Names of witnesses;
• School disciplinary or incident reports;
• Medical or counseling records when relevant; and
• Information showing how the bullying has affected the child's education or activities.

A clear timeline can help establish what occurred, when school officials were notified, and what happened after each report.

Bullying lawsuits are different from many other forms of litigation because the person at the center of the case is often a child who has already endured a difficult experience.

We believe that matters.

At the Law Offices of Schwartz & Arminavage, we approach these cases with sensitivity to the emotional impact they can have on students and their families. No two bullying cases are exactly alike, and we take the time necessary to understand the child, the history of the problem, the family's interactions with the school, and the consequences that followed.

Our goal is to provide families with a clear understanding of their legal options while developing a strategy tailored to the circumstances of their case.

If your child has experienced serious bullying, harassment, or intimidation at school, our attorneys can help you understand your family's legal options. Contact the Law Offices of Schwartz & Arminavage to discuss your child's situation and learn how we can help.