Teen suffered brain injury after classmates threw trash can onto him, $2.1 million suit says

[TexasTowelie]

The parents of a 16-year-old Rex Putnam High School student who say their son suffered a traumatic brain injury after a group of unruly students threw a trash can onto him have filed a $2.1 million lawsuit against the North Clackamas School District.

Benjamin Blau and Elizabeth Mitchell are also suing the group of five students and their parents for allegedly hurting their son. The suit says the five students were let out of class early by a teacher and “allowed to freely roam the campus without any supervision” on Dec. 14, 2017.

The five made their way into a bathroom and threw the trash can over the walls of a stall, striking Blau and Mitchell’s son on the head and causing him to suffer a concussion, a closed head injury, bruising to his thorax and pain and stress, according to the suit.

His medical bills have approached $40,000, with another $50,000 expected, the suit says.

Read moe: https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2018/12/teen-suffered-brain-injury-after-classmates-threw-trash-can-onto-him-21-million-suit-says.html

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Unfortunately this is not a surprise to me.

I'm a substitute teacher in middle school. The kids can be unruly on GOOD days, much worse on the bad days. I have to yell at them, call in the vice principal when I see a situation becoming dangerous. (Example, yesterday I caught 6th graders almost poking the eyes out of their classmates with scissors. I did the yelling/VP bit and heard them conspire how to get me fired for protecting them.)

Here, this situation was in a bathroom facility, no teachers, no cameras. I don't know what the school was expected to do except provide light Rubbermaid trash cans.

[SWBTATTReg]

2. Yes, it is a shame that you have to work in such conditions. No wonder that schools are having a...

hard time hiring enough teachers. They say in lots of states that the pay isn't keeping up w/ keeping qualified teachers in school, but personally I think it's the environment.

With parents who have lax standards of behavior, let alone their kids, who would want to work w/ kids that act in such a manner and are truly a danger to themselves and others?

Where are the parents and their responsibility for all of this? Usually long gone or total denial. No wonder I don't feel like supporting the schools when you have kids and their parents acting like this. I taught as a visiting professional sometimes in the public school system and didn't really enjoy it too much. On the other hand, when I taught at the work and/or college level, it was a totally different world, the folks were actually there in full, eager to learn, and I enjoyed it.

Teachers unfortunately are the first line of defense and it's a shame. Learning should be a good, safe, wholesome learning experience for all.

When it isn't safe, then boom, kids need to be kicked out of school/reprimanded and parents the same. Can't learn in an unsafe environment and there are tons of kids who really want to learn and advance themselves.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Here's the other issue:

The kids are savvy to know when they have a situation that can be exploited for money.

If you touch them any way (the older kids) to prevent harm to another student, they practically have a lawyer on speed-dial. They will go home, tell their parents that a teacher (esp. a substitute) harmed them and they will sue the school. Or rather, get a speedy settlement to make them go away. It's a scam. Earlier this year, I had a fifth grader try this trick with me. He announced in front of his class that he was going to go home and tell his mother that I hit him and pushed him and called him racist names. He went as far as picking his four "witnesses" to lie for him. I had enough of this BS, called the vice principal into the room and told him of the intended scam and I wasn't putting up with it. If I had not done this pre-emptive measure, there's a good chance that it would have been successful with the town/ school district paying his family money for nothing happening and I would have lost my teaching license.

[SWBTATTReg]

4. Wow. Makes you want to have a camera on you all of the time to protect yourself. And what's ...

sad about this whole thing is that everyone gets hurt by this unilateral action on the part of this kid. Hopefully they kicked the kid out of school after you complained. Probably not.

Again, no wonder they are having problems keeping teachers like you around. Such abuse, considering what you all go through in getting the required education level in order to teach. Standards keep getting higher and higher and the pay no way keeps up.

Take care.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. You are on the money.

Their regular teacher wears a microphone around her neck at all times for recording purposes, not amplification.

[ROB-ROX]

6. MY HISTORY

In 6th grade 1962 my class mates turned our teacher's car up side down (VW.) I was not invited to help nor did i know it was happening. In high school we went through 4 principal in 4 years. Principal #3 was nick named "buzzard." They killed a buzzard and nailed it to the school sign. Principal #2 thought cars driving in front of the school were going to fast, so "speed" bumps were installed. The first weekend a bunch of students cut the lock to the gate in front of the school and poured gasoline on the speed bumps and 20 kids got into the back of a pickup to flattened the soft asphalt to one inch pan cakes. I think 80% of my class went to college and I graduated and worked for the University of California for 34 years. There can be a few rotten eggs, but many of us to make it through elementary education......Today with guns it is VERY bad....