What Can We Learn From "Mentors" In Our Country?

Imagine a school that received a score of 9 out of 10 from parents on www.greatschools.org.


Imagine a school that ranks in the mid 90th percentile nationwide for reading and math, boasts a 95% attendance rate, runs a successful athletic program, and has a wide variety of curriculum including specific study programs from art and music to technology and world language.


Imagine this school in a city of just over 50,000 people – a city that was named “One of the Best 100 Places to Live” by CNN and MONEY magazine.


A school like that surely can’t get sued… or can it?


The school is Mentor High School, in Mentor, Ohio, where things may not be exactly as they appear. In fact, since 2007, four students have committed suicide as a result of being bullied.


The high school is being sued by two families who accuse administrators of doing nothing to stop the torment, harassment and bullying that lead their children to kill themselves. The Vidovic family started a lawsuit with the school over the bullying of their daughter, Jana, in 2007. When the family asked for the bullying reports of their daughter, school officials told them the records were destroyed during a switch to new computers. Unfortunately, the story did not end there. Jana committed suicide in 2008, and the family opened another case in August 2010. Eric Mohat shot himself in March 2007 after being relentlessly bullied in math class, as told by other teens. In April 2009, the Mohats sued the school district, the principal, the superintendent and Eric’s math teacher. The federal lawsuit is on hold while the Ohio Supreme Court considers a question of state law regarding the case.



So, what can we learn from schools like Mentor High School?

· No school is “exempt” from being sued --- even those with outstanding results.

· School records should be kept safe and all cases of bullying should be recorded.

· The district, school, administrators, teachers and staff can all be sued separately on a single case.

· The cases can drag on for years and years, and can be subject to trials in State Supreme Courts AND in Federal Court. The time, emotional stress, and financial impact (primarily legal fees) can be devastating to a school and its staff.

· Bullying is a real threat. Proper anti-bullying procedures and discipline plans are necessary for any school in operation today.



While these cases are still being considered in a court of law, isn’t it time to consider your own school’s risks and behaviors on bullying, too? Tom Van Auker, President of The Charter School Resource Center is a Certified School Risk Manager (CSRM). He is the perfect person to assess whether or not your school is doing all it can to protect the school, the students and the staff.


Take a lesson from the “Mentors” of this country.
Call The O’Neill Group today at 1-800-334-1561.