Private school sued after bullying case
Prestigious Swedish boarding school Lundsberg has been sued for 178,400 kronor ($26,523) in damages for a boy who was allegedly continuously bullied by other students.
The case is being handled by the Swedish Child-and-Student Ombudsman (Barn- och elevombudet, BEO), who claim that the school did not do enough to prevent the bullying.
The bullying is said to have begun one month after the boy started at the school in 2009, though he chose not to report the matter to authorities at the time.
The boy, who has not been named, took photographs and videos of the injuries he sustained as a result of the beatings, which included having an electric fly swatter zapping his nipples.
He eventually confided in his mother, and the school was notified.
It was reported that the boy was bullied for, among other things, not sitting correctly at school meals, his diet, and sometimes for no reason whatsoever.
He was also forced to fight other students for the entertainment of others, reportedly common practice among the students.
The school, which has been the alma mater of Prince Carl Philip and many other high society members, was reported to police in November last year.
While the school said it is impossible to monitor all bullying, especially when it has not been reported, they claimed they had been keeping an eye out for any violations of their rules.
These rules were “clearly prohibiting violations such as power-play”, they said according to the TT news agency.
However, the school also reported to the BEO that the boy “had certain weaknesses with social interaction”.
Nevertheless, the BEO has judged that not enough effort was made by the school to prevent the bullying, regardless of the boy’s personality or difficulties.
Furthermore, a house master who failed to act when witnessing the bullying has been fired from the school's employ.
The school was put under review by the Schools Inspectorate (Skolverket) in November after the allegations first were reported.
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The case is being handled by the Swedish Child-and-Student Ombudsman (Barn- och elevombudet, BEO), who claim that the school did not do enough to prevent the bullying.
The bullying is said to have begun one month after the boy started at the school in 2009, though he chose not to report the matter to authorities at the time.
The boy, who has not been named, took photographs and videos of the injuries he sustained as a result of the beatings, which included having an electric fly swatter zapping his nipples.
He eventually confided in his mother, and the school was notified.
It was reported that the boy was bullied for, among other things, not sitting correctly at school meals, his diet, and sometimes for no reason whatsoever.
He was also forced to fight other students for the entertainment of others, reportedly common practice among the students.
The school, which has been the alma mater of Prince Carl Philip and many other high society members, was reported to police in November last year.
While the school said it is impossible to monitor all bullying, especially when it has not been reported, they claimed they had been keeping an eye out for any violations of their rules.
These rules were “clearly prohibiting violations such as power-play”, they said according to the TT news agency.
However, the school also reported to the BEO that the boy “had certain weaknesses with social interaction”.
Nevertheless, the BEO has judged that not enough effort was made by the school to prevent the bullying, regardless of the boy’s personality or difficulties.
Furthermore, a house master who failed to act when witnessing the bullying has been fired from the school's employ.
The school was put under review by the Schools Inspectorate (Skolverket) in November after the allegations first were reported.
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