Education Commons^™

Keeping Schools Safe: Why Schools Should Have An Affirmative Duty To Protect Students From Harm By Other Students, Alison Bethel

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] "Federal statutes have attempted to make schools safer by providing grants to assist schools in becoming violence-free. Similarly, some states have passed “bullying laws,” which mandate procedures for school officials to follow when dealing with bullying. These statutes, however, do not provide adequate remedies for students who are harmed by their peers during the school day. The majority of courts that have addressed student- on-student violence have declined to hold that compulsory education creates the type of special relationship needed to impose an affirmative duty on schools to protect students from harm by other students. While I agree that …