When we send our sons and daughters to school, day care, or summer camp, we place our trust that the staff should prioritize children’s safety above all. However, some teachers, guides and administrators are not always up to the task and their negligence can cause accidents and other situations that can cause physical and psychological harm to the children in their charge. This is known as School Negligence. In general, school negligence occurs when a student is harmed due to inadequate supervision, unsafe conditions, or negligence by staff. According to the law, a school has a duty to exercise the same degree of care towards its students as would a reasonably prudent parent.
School negligence can take many forms and can include abuse by a figure of authority like a teacher or administrator, bullying from a fellow student or a slip-and-fall injury from carelessness on the school’s behalf. These incidents can cause physical, psychological and emotional damage to the student that is irreparable. In some cases, students will be injured in an accident or an act of violence and they will not physically be able to return to school until they have recovered. In other cases, students may suffer trauma from the incident and that will cause them to do poorly in school from then on. In still even more severe cases, the student may suffer such trauma that they will not want to return to school at all because of the fear and anxiety. Whether physical or psychological, these incidents can have a detrimental effect on the students overall academic performance, thus affecting them for the rest of their lives.
If your child has been the victim of school negligence, you should consult with an experienced school negligence attorney as soon as possible for a consultation. While no amount of compensation can make up for the deep-rooted injuries that may occur, a school negligence law firm like Ross & Hill can be there to help with the road to recovery for the injured student. The Law Office of Ross & Hill will offer genuine compassion and highly informed legal guidance.
We can listen to your story and tell you if you have a claim against the Department of Education or the City of New York. You can call (646) 351-6222 for a free consultation today.
Our experienced Brooklyn school liability attorneys know how to assess and evaluate school negligence cases like child injury, child bullying, and wrongful death cases. We understand the tremendous pain and grief you will be feeling, your desire for answers as to exactly what happened, and the financial and emotional tolls on your family. If you have a viable claim against a school, other facility or individual that was responsible for the safety of your child, we will pursue that case with passion and vigilance.
The New York City Department of Education is a bureaucracy like any other and there are steps that can be taken when you believe your child was the victim of school negligence. There are many different school liaisons in city schools including a “Respect for All” Liaison, “Bullying Prevention Liaison”, etc. When you believe your child has been a victim.
According to the Department of Education Website on preventing bullying and other types of harassment, these are the steps you can take within the NYC Public school system:
1. Report the incident to your school’s Respect for All (RFA) liaison(s) and/or school administration (principal or other administrator).
2. Ask for the incident number from school administration for follow up. This is also known as Online Occurrence Reporting System (OORS) number.
3. The school will investigate and must tell the parent or guardian of the target what they find. If needed, the child may be referred for support services.
4. If the investigation finds that a student—or students—have been bullying or harassing your child, the school will follow the process described in the Discipline Code.
If your child has been the target of bullying, harassment or had an accident at school, the school’s disciplinary code may not be enough. What if you feel the incident that your child faced has traumatized them to the point that it has done irreparable harm? That is where an experienced school negligence attorney can help you. An experienced school negligence attorney like the ones at Ross & Hill have the knowledge to advise you of your rights and can consult with you about possible compensation from the Department of Education.
In the course of our lengthy legal careers focused exclusively on personal injury litigation, we have recovered millions for injured children and grieving parents. This includes achieving favorable outcomes in cases involving:
• The drowning of a young boy in a hotel swimming pool due to inadequate supervision on a school outing
• Sexual molestation of a girl enabled by a teacher who left an unqualified individual in charge of her classroom
• Trip and fall accidents
• Lack of teacher supervision for rough play
• Unwarranted touching including cases of sexual groping, sexual harassment, and sexual abuse
• Accidents while on school day and overnight trips
• Accidents during class
• School bus rides, lunch break, recess, and after school activities
At the law offices of Ross & Hill, we have children and we are a family. We feel our clients are our family as well. Because of that, we will not allow anyone to do harm to neither our children or any of our family members. We will vigilantly and vigorously fight for our family members and hold accountable any institution that caused harm to a child because of school negligence. If you feel you have a claim, we’re ready to listen and consult with you. Call (646) 351-6222 for a free consultation now.
Se habla español.
