WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A child's six-foot fall off a slide is at the center of a Florida lawsuit against a school board.
A lawsuit was filed March 4 in Palm Beach County Circuit Court against the School Board of Palm Beach County by Angelica Velasquez De Leon, who is representing her minor child J.S.L.V.
The plaintiff alleges that the school board failed to properly supervise students at West Gate Elementary School, leading to an incident in which her child was pushed off a six-foot slide by another student.
This resulted in a fractured leg that required surgery and left permanent impairment.
"Florida courts have recognized a special relationship between schools and their students based upon the fact that a school functions at least partially in the place of parents during the school day and school-sponsored activities," the suit says.
"Mandatory education of children also supports this relationship. The special relationship between schools and their students requires a school to reasonably supervise its students during all activities that are subject to the control of the school."
Kevin Guerrero of Warrior Law Group represents the plaintiff.