A Washington child safety lawsuit filed against the Bremerton school district, near Seattle, offers a stark reminder of the importance of ensuring that our children are safe in school.
According to an Associated Press report posted on the New York Times website, the victim was an 8-year old girl who suffered serious injuries “when a gun in a classmate’s backpack went off.” The news agency notes that the family is suing the school district alleging that “it failed to heed clues the boy was dangerous.”
The AP reports that the law suit claims “that the boy who brought the gun to school was acting out and fighting. It also says the boy had told several other children his intention to bring a gun to school.” The victim “required numerous surgeries and suffered lifelong injuries when the bullet pierced her internal organs and lodged in her spine.”
All of this raises legitimate, and troubling, questions about the oversight exercised by the school and that the measures that officials there took – or should have taken – to ensure the safety not only of the victim but of every other child in the school.
If any good at all can come out of such a horrific story it ought to be the lesson it offers for adults about the responsibility we all share for keeping children safe. Parents, of course, are first and primarily responsible for this, but it is reasonable for any of us to assume that when we entrust our children’s safety to teachers and other responsible parties -such as an airline taking custody of an unaccompanied minor for the duration of a journey, or school officials during the school day – that they will exercise the care and caution that our children – all children – deserve.
A Washington or Oregon child injury attorney can help parents ensure that school officials and others offer the responsible care that all children deserve.
AP via The New York Times: Wash. District Being Sued Over Backpack Shooting