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Ohio Court Will Hear Case Over Bullying, Teacher Liability
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – The Ohio Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case over whether educators were reckless in not preventing an injury to a student even though they’d been notified she was being bullied by a fellow kindergartner.
The court will consider whether teachers and principals can be sued when a student is bullied under their supervision.
In this case, one girl reportedly punctured another girl’s cheek with a pencil at a Toledo school. A Lucas County court concluded a teacher and two principals were protected from a resulting lawsuit by statutory immunity.
A state appeals court panel resurrected the lawsuit’s recklessness claim.
The employees’ lawyers argue educators who respond appropriately to student teasing could face costly litigation unless the decision is overturned.