New Jersey Bullying & Discrimination Attorney
Get Help From Our Top Rated New Jersey Bullying Attorney
Charles Z. Schalk is an experienced bullying lawyer in New Jersey. Every student should be able to enjoy fair and equitable access to educational opportunities. Bullying is not acceptable. It is a form of discrimination. If you or your child was subject to bullying, we are here to help. Contact our New Jersey education lawyer today for a fully confidential, no obligation initial consultation.
Bullying in Schools and Universities: A Serious Problem
Broadly defined, bullying is the repeated and intentional behavior by a person or group of people to intimidate, harm, or coerce another person. In general, bullying occurs when there is some form of an imbalance of power. Though, it may only be an imbalance in social power—such as one student being viewed more favorably by classmates than another student. Unfortunately, bullying remains a very serious problem in schools and universities. It not only affects academic performance but also leaves lasting psychological scars. Some common examples of bullying include:
- Physical Aggression: Students may engage in physical acts like hitting, pushing, or tripping. It is aggression that is often used to cause the victim to fear.
- Verbal Abuse: People may use insults, name-calling, or derogatory remarks to belittle and demean others. It can seriously undermine safety and emotional well-being.
- Social Exclusion: Bullies often isolate others by encouraging peers to exclude someone from group activities or social gatherings.
- Cyberbullying: Students use digital platforms to harass, threaten, or embarrass peers through messages, posts, or sharing private information without consent.
- Sexual Bullying: Sexual bullying involves making unwelcome sexual comments, jokes, or gestures. It can also escalate to unwanted physical contact.
Bullying May Be Discrimination (Education Discrimination)
Every student has the right to fair, equitable educational opportunities. A student who has been subject to bullying is losing their right to thrive in a school or other educational setting. Indeed, bullying may be a form of education discrimination. If bullying is based on any protected characteristic—race, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, etc—it may constitute discrimination. There are federal laws in place that protect students against bullying. Key statutes include:
- Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964;
- Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972;
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Note: All schools and universities that receive any federal funds—which is virtually all educational institutions—must prevent and address harassment or discrimination. If bullying is based on one or more protected characteristics and if bullying adversely impacts a student’s educational opportunities in a material way, it may be educational discrimination. A school, school district, or other educational institution may be liable for bullying that it failed to prevent and/or failed to properly investigate or stop. An attorney can help bullying victims.
New Jersey has One of the Strongest State-Level Anti-Bullying in Education Laws
New Jersey takes bullying very seriously. In 2011, lawmakers passed the New Jersey Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act. It is one of the strongest and most comprehensive anti-bullying laws in the United States. Among other things, the law requires all public schools to adopt policies to prevent, report, investigate, and respond to incidents of bullying. The Act defines bullying to include any unwelcome gesture, written, verbal, or physical act, or electronic communication that is reasonably perceived as being motivated by an actual or perceived characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or disability.
Why Trust Our New Jersey Bullying and Discrimination Lawyer
Bullying is not acceptable in any school or educational institution—from an elementary school to a high school to a college or university. Bullying may be a form of discrimination. Schools and other educational institutions have a responsibility to prevent, address, and rectify bullying. Charles Z. Schalk is an experienced New Jersey education law attorney who provides compassionate legal guidance to victims. Along with other things, our New Jersey bullying lawyer will:
- Hear your story and explain your rights and options;
- Investigate the incident(s)—gathering supporting evidence; and
- Take aggressive legal action to stop the bullying and get you justice.
Contact Our Educational Discrimination Attorney in New Jersey Today
Charles Z. Schalk is a New Jersey education discrimination lawyer with the experience needed to handle bullying cases. If you or your child was the victim of bullying at school, we are here to help. Call us at (908) 526-0707 or contact us online to arrange your fully confidential, no obligation initial consultation. We handle bullying cases throughout New Jersey.
“Mr. Schalk obviously obtained a very successful verdict in a very very difficult case. This Court had an opportunity to observe Mr. Schalk throughout the trial. He certainly performed at an extremely high level . . . And to obtain the verdict that he did is a rare case . . . I feel very strongly that Mr. Schalk’s work in this case was at a very high level, a superior level and that if the 100 percent enhancement of the lodestar is in the rare case this would be the rare case in which Mr. Schalk would be entitled to that.”*”
