Some Legal Alternatives (Score 1)

There are a few alternatives available to the family. Let's take a look: 1. You might interest the ACLU. Then again, you might not, since you don't fall into any of the recognized 'categories' for fund raising purposes. If you bring them in, they will be running the show, not you. Their 'client' is the Constitution, not you. I'm pointing this out not to trash the ACLU, but to suggest that 'free' legal services often come with ropes attached. 2. The post said that the decision was 'unappealable.' Never rely on an administrator's interpretation of the rules. Take a look at the regulations yourself to see what they say. There may be an administrative remedy, there may not. 3. Now let's get to the meat of the matter. This young man was the victim of harassment, in a school district that permitted the harassment to continue and created an environment, or at least permitted an environment to exist in which harassment could thrive. The 'gang' certainly committed an assault, and perhaps a battery in taking the young man's backpack and rifling through its contents. So a possible solution is to bring an action in tort against the young men and the school's principal and administrators. Damages is not so important as injunctive relief. It may be too late to ask a judge to maintain the status quo, but perhaps not. 4. Unfortunately, the cost of maintaining such an action is not trifling. The principal will get his legal fees paid by the district; expect a large firm to come in with all of the "discovery" (pre-trial investigative procedures) routines that even Bill Gates found can sap strength, energy, attention, and most of all, money. But the young men will not be represented gratis. My guess is that this is not the first time they've engaged in such behavior. It shouldn't be that difficult to turn up other victims. And that's when the case gets interesting. Unfortunately, in the United States, the ability to vindicate rights too often depends on the financial status of the victim. That is our great legal system. No, it is unlikely an attorney would accept this case on a contingency. Highly, highly unlikely.