Phoebe parents in €173k settlement with school

A LAWSUIT brought by the parents of Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old Irish girl who committed suicide in Massachusetts after relentless bullying, has been settled for $225,000 (€173,000).

The settlement with the town of South Hadley and its school department was reached over a year ago, but the details were kept under wraps until a journalist won a court order for the release of the information.

The documents show that Phoebe’s parents, Jeremy Prince and Anne O’Brien, settled claims against the town and its school department for $225,000.

In return, the parents promised to release the plaintiffs from any further claims. The documents were released by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, which represented Slate reporter Emily Bazelon in her bid for the disclosure of the settlement.

“This is a victory for the public’s right to know and for transparency in government,” said Bill Newman, an attorney with the ACLU’s legal office in western Massachusetts.

Phoebe hanged herself in January 2010 after classmates taunted her after she dated a popular boy. She had recently moved from Co Clare to South Hadley, a rural town about 160km west of Boston.

Five students accepted plea deals in criminal cases connected with bullying that preceded her death. None involved jail time.

Phoebe’s death drew international attention and was among several high-profile teenage suicides that prompted laws aimed at cracking down on bullying in schools.