11 Mar 2010

Student awarded $290,000 bullying compensation

11:03 am on 11 March 2010

A secondary school student in Australia has been awarded $A290,000 compensation over bullying incidents at a school in north-west Victoria.

The Supreme Court has approved an out-of-court settlement in favour of the 17-year-old former student of Kerang Technical High School in Victoria, the ABC reports.

The girl's mother sued the state on her daughter's behalf, claiming the bullying started when the girl began Year 7.

The girl claimed to have been spat at, had chairs thrown at her and that another student had threatened to bring a gun to school and shoot her.

The family eventually relocated because of fears for the girl's safety.

Swan Hill lawyer Kim Bainbridge told the ABC bullying can have devastating consequences and parents are going to start exercising their rights through the courts.