Student Settles Vermont School Bullying Lawsuit

A former middle school student who sued the Burlington, Vt., school district in a bullying case has agreed to settle for $25,000.

Henry Atkins said in the lawsuit that his arm was fractured by a fellow seventh-grader at Edmunds Middle School after two days of being bullied in 2010. Atkins, now 15, said the district did not provide adequate supervision on the bus.

District lawyer Pietro Lynn tells the Burlington Free Press the settlement allows the district to avoid a costly jury trial that would require school employees to spend time in court, away from their jobs. He says he doesn’t believe there is any acknowledgement of fault on the part of the district.

Atkins plans to work with the district to make presentations to students against bullying and harassment.