Mother of child called 'Nazi Jew' says bullies need to be expelled
The students, allegedly led by a former friend of the child, have allegedly called him “scar face,” “Nazi Jew,” “fat doughnut,” and other names, according to the suit.
By ANTHONY G. ATTRINO/NJ ADVANCE MEDIA GROUP/TNSBoy being bullied in school (Illustrative)(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
The mother of an eighth-grader attending a Bergen County middle school has filed a lawsuit against the district, seeking the expulsion of students who allegedly bullied the child.Several boys at Ramapo Ridge Middle School in Mahwah have repeatedly harassed the child over his cleft palate, for being overweight and for his religious heritage, according to the suit, filed Tuesday in Bergen County Superior Court.The mother, child and students are identified only by initials in the suit in the claim.The students, allegedly led by a former friend of the child, have allegedly called him “scar face,” “Nazi Jew,” “fat doughnut,” and other names, according to the suit.The students have also allegedly assaulted the child, with one hitting him in the head so hard with a basketball that it caused a concussion. Other students allegedly surrounded the child, “poking him, pulling his shirt, and yanking his backpack,” the suit states.The mother claims her son’s grades have plummeted as a result of the alleged abuse and that he is often too distraught to go to school.“During his sixth-grade year, (the child) became so depressed that he threatened suicide. A teacher overheard (the child) say that he wanted to kill himself and reported it to the guidance counselor,” the suit states.The lawsuit claims the middle school principal appears to have blamed the child for some of the alleged abuse and discouraged the parents from pursuing a bullying complaint.The mother is claiming a hostile education environment in violation of New Jersey’s law against discrimination and is seeking the termination of the principal and district superintendent.She is also seeking mandatory anti-discrimination, anti-harassment and anti-bullying training for all students and staff, along with unspecified monetary damages.
