Legal Question in Education Law in New York

Harrassment of student by teacher

My 16 yr old is a science brain. She has won an award from Brookhaven National Labs, works at Cold Spring Harbor Lab & was a participant in a special competitive program at a local university. MIT, Caltech & others have contacted her based on her high SATs. Problem: her science teacher hates her. The head of the science dept and the principal refuse to do anything to stop the situation. Example: she was sick and missed several days. Her teacher insisted she take a test even though she had not been taught the material. She still passed, though not well. The teacher also tried to say my child cut class-she had been in the nurse's office. She now is saying the child missed a lab & a quiz. She did not. The science head was her teacher last yr-a total incompetent who lectured me on how hard calculus was(I've had thru advanced calc on a grad level). My child got a 94 on the Regents, but only in the eighties in the class. All other grades on her report card are 90 or above-usually way above. She loves science and wants to major in bioengineering in college, but her worst grades are in science. The Supt is a lame duck. I have spoken to a Bd of Ed member who volunteered he felt disappointed with the science dept. Options?


Asked on 3/22/05, 1:43 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Arnold Nager Arnold H. Nager, Esquire

Re: Harrassment of student by teacher

Look into a transfer to another High School, if this is not possible, consider private school or moving to another school district.

Failing that, write to the school board and the Supt., and if the situation does not improve, file a complaint with the Commissioner of Education.

This post is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. It is a comment on the legal question posed by the poster and should not be relied upon in any way. All readers are advised to consult an attorney to address their specific legal concerns.

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Answered on 3/22/05, 2:34 pm


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