The town of Greenwich, Connecticut, has agreed to pay $5 million to the estate of a boy who took his own life on the first day of his sophomore year after relentless bullying in the public school system. He was 15 years old.
Officials and attorneys confirmed Tuesday that the Board of Selectmen approved the sum, thought to be the largest municipal settlement of school bullying claims in the state of Connecticut, in the case of Bartlomiej (Bart) Palosz. Palosz died by suicide in 2013 after enduring more than four years of "vicious" bullying in Greenwich public schools.
More than 25 bullying reports were filed in that period, between 2009 and 2013. During that time, Bart Palosz, was repeatedly punched, kicked, pushed down stairs, pelted with trash, shoved into his locker, called names, kicked and otherwise harassed, the lawsuit claimed.
He spent three of those years at Western Middle School, where administrators, teachers and counselors were "aware of the history of the extensive history of bullying that Bart endured," according to court papers. Those records also indicated that Palosz was regularly subjected to bullying and that intervention by school personnel was necessary.
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"Observations recorded on the form reflected multiple incidents in every year of middle school, including name-calling, teasing, property theft and physical violence," court filings say.
There was even an incident on his last day of eighth grade, according to the CT Post. He ended up with a forehead gash, thanks to a corner of a school locker, and needed stitches.
The pattern of bullying was reported to Greenwich High School when Palosz transferred there in accordance with mandatory town policy. Palosz's counselor at Greenwich High School notified all of his teachers about his bullying history on Nov. 19, 2012, according to court documents.
Less than a year later, on Aug. 27, 2013, he died by suicide.
His parents filed a lawsuit against the town almost exactly two years later, alleging the school didn't investigate reported bullying allegations or discipline alleged bullies, leading to the teenager's decision to end his life.
A 2014 Greenwich Magazine article offered an in-depth look at Palosz's story, describing him as "a regular boy who loved camping, fishing, and Boy Scouts" and had a loving family but could not tolerate the prolonged school bullying. It included another interview with his sister, who pointed to a lacking school system that did little to address bullying reports despite repeated pleas from Palosz's parents to do something about what was happening to their son.
The abuse wasn't limited to the walls of the school, either.
Lawyers say Palosz was tormented after class as well, attacked while leaving the building on his bicycle and the school bus, and pushed into thorn bushes. According to the lawsuit, administrators and staff within Greenwich public schools "repeatedly failed" to comply with the town's bullying policy and allegedly "did nothing" to keep Palosz safe.
The town of Greenwich will pay $930,831.13 of the $5 million settlement, while its insurance carrier will cover the rest. In approving the settlement, the Board of Selectmen said it acknowledges, "this has been an incredibly difficult situation for the Palosz family."
His family says they still miss him every day, adding, "our lives have been devastated by his suicide."
"Bart was a kind and wonderful boy who should never have had to endure the daily torment he experienced at school," the Palosz family statement said. "We brought this lawsuit to speak up for Bart and for other vulnerable victims of school bullying in Greenwich and elsewhere. It is our deepest hope that this lawsuit will change how the Greenwich school system responds to bullied students so that there will be no more needless and tragic deaths."
The town had sought to have the lawsuit dismissed under the "doctrine of sovereign immunity," which says government employees or entities can't be sued for their official acts. In 2018, a trio of appellate judges rejected the motion to dismiss, agreeing with the plaintiffs' argument that the sovereign immunity protection "shouldn't shield school employees who fail to act in good faith compliance" with mandatory town bullying policies and procedures.
That appellate court decision was critical for reasons that transcend the Palosz case, lawyers say.
"This case is important not only because it vindicates Bart’s right to be protected from bullying but also because Connecticut courts repeatedly rejected the town’s claim that it had immunity and could not be held liable for failing to protect students who are bullied in school," Jennifer Goldstein, an attorney representing the Palosz family, said.
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The Board of Estimate and Taxation and the Representative Town Meeting’s Claims Committee both also had to give the OK. The BET gave it the go-ahead Monday night by an 11-0 vote with one abstention. It's believed the other vote happened last week, according to a town spokesperson.
The matter of bullying in tri-state high schools vaulted back into the spotlight earlier this month following the suicide of a 14-year-old freshman in New Jersey who took her life days after video surfaced showing a brutal attack on her in a school hallway at the hands of other students. The district superintendent resigned in the wake of the backlash, which stemmed from allegations administrators didn't do nearly enough to prevent attacks on Adriana Kuch or protect her.
Four girls seen in the video were suspended indefinitely from the school and later charged criminally in the case.
If you or someone you know needs help, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling 988, call the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741 anytime.
