Injured boy's parents sue bully

A bullying incident at Albion Middle School has led the parents of the injured boy to sue the alleged bully.

The injured boy was repeatedly teased and harassed by another middle school boy until on Dec. 4, 2007, he was allegedly shoved from behind into some lockers and hit in the face, mouth and jaw several times, according to a lawsuit filed in the 3rd District Court on Tuesday.

The lawsuit alleges that the defendant announced to other students at the former Jordan District school (the school is now part of the Canyons district) that he intended to "beat up" the alleged victim.

After being pushed into the lockers, the alleged victim required medical and dental care and treatment for "substantial" injuries to his face, mouth and jaw, according to the lawsuit.

Research indicates that bullying occurs most often in the middle school, said Cal Evans, Jordan School District assistant superintendent for compliance. "We do have an anti-bullying policy and an anti-hazing one," Evans said. "We work with students who break a school's code of conduct and determine if there's a punishment that we need to mete out."

The school district offers anger management and family classes, as well as a school curriculum dedicated to prevent bullying in schools.

"The best way is to limit the places students are by themselves in school, and teach them that even a bystander who witnesses bullying is at fault," Evans said.

The injured boy's family are requesting special damage compensation for medical and dental expenses, as well as punitive damages and general damage compensation for pain and suffering, severe emotional distress, and more, the lawsuit states.

e-mail: lgroves@desnews.com