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2 Pinellas families sue schools over bullying

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By ROD CHALLENGER

Published: November 12, 2009

At least two families are suing the Pinellas County school district over allegations of bullying.

Velma Newman, the mother of one victim, said she wants to force the school district to take action so that other children don't end up like her son.

Her son, Jerrard Jackson, 14, is an 8th grade honor student. His mother described him as very outgoing before he became a victim of bullies at Azalea Middle School in March.

Newman said despite her pleas to school officials to protect her son, bullies beat him, hurting his arm, chipping a tooth and cutting his lip.

"When this situation happened, he shut down completely," she said. She added that he stays "in his room and doesn't come out."

Darryl Rouson, the family's lawyer, said he filed the lawsuit to get the school district's attention after school officials refused to talk about the problem.

"We want the schools to react strongly and firmly so that all of our children feel safe," explained Rouson.

Newman said most of the bullies are still at Azalea intimidating her son.

"He shouldn't come home and tell me he's hungry and the reason he's hungry is because he's afraid to go in the lunchroom," she said.

The family said the teen who beat her son is the same one dropped off at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg Wednesday afternoon after being shot.

Rouson called his young client courageous for wanting to pursue legal action.

"He wants something done about what happened to him, so that it doesn't happen to others," said Rouson. "He wants to show the ones that did this to him that there is a day of reckoning."

The lawsuit he filed does not ask for a specific amount of damages.

Another parent is also suing the Pinellas school district for failing to protect her son from bullying.

Jennifer Giroux said some students were constantly harassing her son at Sawgrass Elementary School in St. Petersburg three years ago. In a lawsuit filed in September, she claims the bullies eventually beat her son and broke his leg.

The school district had no comment on the lawsuit. It says it has a policy of not discussing ongoing litigation.

News Channel 8 reporter Rod Challenger can be reached at (813) 731-8102.

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