(Image Source: WXIN)
BY JULIA CORDEROY
They called him “Terrorist” and “Little Osama” because of his Middle Eastern roots.
A 17-year-old boy has been attacked by classmates at an Indiana school. Now, his parents want to sue.
Here is WMAQ with the details...
“These injuries to 17-year-old high school junior, David Haddad are the culmination of more than a year of racist bullying, according to complaint filed this afternoon. It says seven bullies - all seniors and juniors at Lake Central High School surrounded him and beat him inside the school last Tuesday.”
Haddad’s parents have filed a lawsuit against Lake Central School Corporation, alleging the school violated Haddad’s civil rights by doing nothing to stop the bullying.
WFLD spoke with the family’s lawyer...
REPORTER: “The family repeatedly told the principal about the bullying, but they said the school did nothing.”
LAWYER: “Whether it was because the students that bullied David were star athletes or whether it was another reason, the administration turned a blind eye to threats of violence, to bullying.”
The attack which hospitalised Haddad allegedly happened because he was getting more popular- to the dismay of some students. WLS-TV reports...
“Haddad apparently had been getting a lot of attention for his rap videos. Haddad’s attorney says - as Haddad got more attention, the tension grew at school. Some students tell ABC7 - there were a group of students who didn’t like Haddad’s videos and it was those student’s involved in the incident.”
According to USA Today, government statistics show that as many as one in three middle or high school students in America have reported being bullied. So, what can be done about it?
CNN spoke to a youth leadership coach who went on an anti-bullying tour around the U.S. earlier this year. He says - stick up for your classmates...
“Almost 50% of the students see, hear or watch it every single day. So what we’re really trying to do is get those students to speak up or speak out - to do something to help their classmates out. We know that if just one of them would do that, the rest of them will join and it makes it so much easier on everybody else.”
According to The Huffington Post - Haddad’s parents filed a temporary restraining order on Monday to prevent surveillance video of the beating from being tampered with.
