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Last updated on Tuesday, December 6, 2011
(COLUMBUS) - Bartholomew Consolidated School District will pay $100,000 to settle a lawsuit accusing staff members of failing to protect a student from bullying.
Margaret Sobieralaski claims that former classmate Daniel Herrick made up sexually explicit stories about her, and said she was so stressed out by the verbal bullying that she did not graduate with her class at Columbus North High School last year.
The girl was placed on a suicide watch and quit socializing wiht friends, according to her mother, Cheryl Sobieralaski.
The family's lawyer accused the Bartholomew Consolidated School District of not enforcing its own anti-bullying policies.
The district agreed to pay $100,000, but declined to comment on the case or share its anti-bullying policies.
The Herrick family's insurer agreed to pay a $50,000 settlement to the Sobieralaski family, but denied any wrongdoing. The families attorney Joseph O'Conner said they settled to avoid the expense of a federal jury trail. He said if the case did go to trail, his client would have been vindicated.
The Sobieralaski family said they want schools to wake up and realize when a kid is bullied, no matter who they are, the school needs to take action.
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