the school failed to discipline this child,and thus failed the student. i
bet other schools have taken notice of this case.... i'm happy for the
award... when i was in middle school i laughed at a mentally retarded
student... little did i know but the special education teach who was also
the wrestling coach was watching me he came over and slammed me against a
locker in front of everyone, hard.... i deserved it and everyone laughed at
me...it was the last time i ever made fun of a disabled child and now im a
father to one.... ironic huh? teachers have a responsibility to protect the
kids,.... boys may fight but what this punk was doing was unaccptable ... it
went on too long...
----- Original Message -----
From: Cleveland, Kyle E. <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2000 11:51 AM
Subject: Re: Teen with cerebral palsy awarded $300,000


> So the way to change playground behavior is to sue????  God, am I ever
glad
> this life ends at some point!  What a society...
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Yvonne Craig [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2000 11:41 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Teen with cerebral palsy awarded $300,000
>
>
> This was posted to another list I am on. Thought you might find it =
> interesting.
>
> Yvonne
>
>
***************************************************************************=
> **************
>
> The Associated Press
>
> SEATTLE (August 15, 2000 9:02 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - A jury
=
> ordered a school district to pay $300,000 to a student with cerebral palsy
=
> who was subjected to physical abuse and teasing by a fellow student for =
> years.
> School personnel in the Stanwood-Camano district were negligent in
> supervision and caused Taya Haugstad, now 19, emotional distress by =
> failing to do enough to protect her from harassment, a U.S. District Court
=
> jury
> decided Monday.
> Testimony indicated that the boy used obscenities and insults like =
> "retard,"
> blocked Haugstad as she tried to pass in her wheelchair and rammed the
> wheelchair into walls.
> The result was a hostile learning environment that hurt Haugstad's
> education, damaged her self-esteem and left her with post-traumatic stress
> disorder, her lawyers said.
> According to the lawsuit, the boy began tormenting Haugstad in 1993, when
> she was in the fifth grade, and continued until May 1997, when he was
> arrested for investigation of harassment.
> An out-of-court settlement was reached with the boy's family.
> "School districts need to be accountable," Haugstad's mother, Karrie, said
> after the verdict. "There are a lot of kids out there who are being =
> harassed
> and tormented all the time, but they don't make big waves. It has got to
> stop."
> Mark Northcraft, the school system's lawyer, said the case would be
> appealed.
> "I believe this was a sympathy award," Northcraft said. "All of the people
=
> I
> have dealt with at Stanwood School District are good, quality, caring
> teachers. Every time something was brought to their attention about Taya =
> and (the boy), they dealt with it."
> The jury also awarded Haugstad's parents $10,000 for the impact on their
> relationship with their daughter but rejected claims under federal and =
> state
> laws against discrimination based on disability.
> Cerebral palsy is a condition in which a brain injury affects muscle
> control, including speech and movement.