Bullying costs school $4M

Colleen Jenkins:

After a bully attacked Danny Heidenberg at Hillel School of Tampa, his parents complained to the principal of the Jewish community day school.

When the bully broke 12-year-old Danny's arm in January 2004, they sued.

On Monday, a Hillsborough jury ordered the school to pay $4-million for failing to keep Danny safe.

Now 16, he has permanent nerve damage in his left hand and likely won't be able to follow in his surgeon parents' footsteps. The verdict sends a strong message to schools, the family's attorney said.

"Schools have to wake up to the point that bullying is serious and supervision is serious," said David Tirella, an attorney with Cohen, Jayson & Foster. "They allowed a bully to escalate."

Posted by Jim Zellmer at November 3, 2007 12:01 AM
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