NYC To Pay Bullied Girl’s Private School Tuition

In a landmark decision by the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, New York City will pay for a learning-disabled student’s private school tuition. The courts upheld a previous ruling that the principal and teachers at her NYC school failed to stop or prevent her from being bullied, violating the US Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, according to the New York Post.

The student—who is not being identified—was bullied by classmates at PS 6 on the Upper East Side when she was in the third grade. It was found that the school’s principal, Lauren Fontana, “stonewalled” the girl’s parents, refusing to discuss the bullying or address it in her special education plan. In addition, teachers did nothing to stop or prevent the bullying, which included being pinched hard enough to cause a bruise, having her toes stomped on and being called “ugly,” “smelly,” “stupid” and “fat.”

The three-member appellate panel unanimously upheld a ruling by federal Judge Jack Weinstein that the city Department of Education violated the US Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

“I think it’s an important decision, not only for my family, but for all children with special needs who have faced these issues before,” the girl’s dad, Tracy Klestadt, a bankruptcy lawyer, told The Post.