A federal district court in Houston recently examined whether claims stemming from on-campus bullying were sufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss by the school district.  In Estate of Brown v. Ogletree, 2012 WL 591190 (S.D. Tex. 2012) (unpublished), the court held that the parents stated valid Title IX and due process claims, but dismissed [...]

The mother of a former Leander Independent School District student has sued the school district claiming that the district failed to protect her son from bullying, according to a report by The Austin American-Statesman.  According to the lawsuit, the boy was targeted at least in part due to Asperger’s Syndrome, a developmental disorder that impacted [...]

The National School Board Association’s Legal Clips recently reported another lawsuit by parents of a student who committed suicide because of bullying and harassment at school. The Utah couple has sued the school district, the school board, the county sheriff, and school administrators.  They allege that their son was the subject of relentless hazing, harassment, [...]

In my book, The Texas Legal Handbook On Student Bullying, I talk in detail about a number of recent cases involving off-campus student speech.  In each of those cases, students raised First Amendment challenges to discipline they received as a result of off-campus, internet use.  In J.S. v. Blue Mountain Sch. Dist. and Layshock v. Hermitage Sch. Dist., [...]

A federal district court, in an unpublished opinion issued late last year, declined to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the parents of Montana Lance against the Lewisville Independent School District and several school district officials following the suicide of the nine-year-old, fourth grade student.  The case is a significant development in litigation over bullying, as [...]