Bullied boy to take action against State

The letter was issued on Thursday by attorney Douglas Bayley who is representing the parents of 14-year old Darrio Persad, a student of San Fernando West Second ary School. Persad suffered memory loss after a fellow student repeatedly punched him and slammed his head against a wall one month ago. According to the letter, Persad has not regained his memory.

Bayley, who is being instructed by attorney Anand Ramlogan, wrote that the letter was the third sent by his firm to the Ministry of Education on behalf of students who were victims of bullying.

The first was the Presentation College San Fernando student who, as a result of an attack, had to have one of his testicles removed and the second was Tristan Khan of Mayaro Government Primary whose hand was dislocated and broken by a classmate during recess.

“It is the height of injustice and the cruelest of ironies that the bullies who attacked and injured my clients are back in school after a seven-day suspension whilst their victims continue to miss school because of the pain and suffering they have inflicted and the severity of their injuries,” wrote Bayley.

The letter detailed a narrative of alleged negligence in Persad’s case involving the school’s principal who kept Persad’s family in the dark about the details of the incident until the day after it occurred, and further tried to persuade them to not report it to the police. It also alleges that the Ministry of Education and the School Supervisor tried to persuade Persad’s parents to not publicise a video which captured the entire incident to Facebook.

The letter said the family also felt as if they were not taken seriously by the San Fernando Police Station when a report was first made and were only seriously acknowledged after the video of the attack went viral on social media when it was posted by unknown persons.

Bayley also submitted a Freedom of Information application for copies of all statements collected through investigations into Persad’s attack and for copies of the various standards and protocols for dealing with incidents of bullying in schools.

The Ministry of Education has 28 days to respond after receiving the letter