The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday held a school liable for its failure to address a bullying incident leading to the assault of a student.
In a decision penned by Associate Justice Mario Lopez, the SC’s Second Division said the school failed to address a punching incident involving three grade school students inside one of its classrooms.
The incident included two students who repeatedly punched a classmate while the teacher was in the comfort room, but no meaningful action was taken.
The High Tribunal underscored that schools have a contractual obligation to ensure a safe learning environment, explaining that schools must maintain peace and order within their premises and even outside the campus during school activities.
It added that schools may avoid liability only upon proof that they exercised due diligence. In this case, Mother Goose School was found negligent for its lack of proper protocols, failure to inform the victim’s parents promptly, and inaccuracies in its investigation.
“Notably, every parent who entrusts their child to a learning institution does so with the assurance that the school, owing to its obligation not only to provide but also to maintain a safe learning environment, will protect the child from harm or will promptly address similar incidents after its occurrence,” the SC said in its decision.
Likewise, it recognized the incident as bullying in its general sense and not as defined under the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, which was not yet in effect at the time.