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Lawsuit: School meeting allowed bully to beat victim yet again

The meeting about alleged bullying inside a West Philadelphia middle school could not have gone any worse when — according to a lawsuit filed Thursday — the bully used it to beat up the victim yet again.

The meeting about alleged bullying inside a West Philadelphia middle school could not have gone any worse when — according to a lawsuit filed Thursday — the bully used it to beat up the victim yet again.

The suit, filed by Faruq Robinson on behalf of his daughter, who was a seventh grader at Andrew Hamilton School at the time of the meeting and bullying attacks, names the School District of Philadelphia, the School Reform Commission and six employees of middle school at 5640 Spruce St.

According to the complaint, the abuse of Robinson's daughter began in the fall of 2011 when another student began stalking, assaulting and bullying her. After the girl told her parents — Corinthia Robinson, who has since died, and Faruq Robinson — they reported the conduct to the school principal and counselor. But the taunting continued, the suit claims, forcing the Robinsons to make numerous trips to the school in an attempt to resolve the issue.

Then bedlam broke out Nov. 21, 2011 during a meeting held at the school with the two students, their mothers and several school officials, according to the suit. Court documents state the victim and the alleged bully were seated just one chair apart without any security present, despite the staff's knowledge of their heated history.

After becoming "visibly agitated" as her behavior was discussed, the reputed bully allegedly got up and punched the victim in the head and face about seven times. The complaint contends none of the school employees intervened but "rather, they sat and viewed [the student] repeatedly punch [the victim] in her head and face, leaving only her mother to attempt to physically stop the attack."

Philly.com is withholding the names of both the victim and the alleged bully because they are minors.

The lawsuit claims officials, even after the meeting, failed to take action against the second student, prompting Corinthia Robinson to daily travel to the school and sit in her daughter's classroom in an attempt to protect her until school officials told Robinson she was no longer allowed to do so.

Court documents allege the November assault caused the Robinsons' daughter to suffer "severe emotional distress," eventually requiring her to seek mental health treatment, including hospitalization. When no corrective action had been taken by 2012, the girl transferred from the school due to an "incessant fear of a reoccurence of the incident," the complaint reads.

The lawsuit asserts school staffers were aware of the bully's "assaultive uncontrollable behavior," which included fighting with other students and yelling at teachers and school employees. They allegedly refused to expel, suspend, transfer or change the student's class to ensure the victim's safety. The complaint also notes there was a ratio of one security guard to about 600 students at the time of the alleged bullying.

Court documents further claim school officials "exercised a pattern and practice of not requiring sufficient security" to protect students from other students with violent histories. School officials are accused of having "intentionally refused to contact the police to report violent acts against students in the schools, by other students, to cover up such violence."

Robinson, who requested a jury trial, is seeking over $131,000 in punitive and compensatory damages, as well as attorney's fees.

A spokesman for the School District of Philadelphia said Monday it is the district's policy not to comment on active legal cases.