Aimee Clifton argues the bullying curtailed her career options and wants Blue Mountains Grammar to pay damages for her pain and suffering,as well as compensation for her medical expenses and loss of future earnings.
The Wentworth Falls resident has filed a statement of claim in the NSW Supreme Court for almost $600,000. The school has engaged a legal team but declined to comment,citing privacy for the people involved.
Former Blue Mountains Grammar School student Aimee Clifton is suing the school for bullying.Kate Geraghty
A similar case was won in 2011,when the plaintiff successfully argued that her school,St Patrick’s College in Campbelltown,had anti-bullying policies and procedures in place but failed to respond to ample evidence she was being bullied.
Clifton attended Blue Mountains Grammar from 2017 to 2022. In 2020,she says her parents complained about a campaign of bullying and the school conducted a cursory investigation but took no action. She alleges it failed to comply with its own bullying policy.
She said the bullying continued,and alleges she had her car windscreen wipers torn off,was threatened with physical violence,called a “psycho bitch” and subjected to a physical assault at the sports carnival.
In her statement of claim,Clifton alleges teachers were aware but took no action. She withdrew from classes and finished her HSC preparation at home,but said the school provided “minimal to nil academic support”.
During that time,she said the stress caused an emotional collapse,for which she was hospitalised twice.
“The plaintiff performed very poorly in the HSC exams as a direct result of the distress caused by bullying and interruption to her studies,” the statement of claim said. “[The] plaintiff had always been a high distinction student but achieved only a final ATAR of 75.85,despite earlier expectations of surpassing 90.
“This poor result seriously limited the plaintiff’s university options and damaged her future career opportunities.”
Clifton filed the claim with the help of a relative but is in the process of engaging legal counsel.
Blue Mountains Grammar’s anti-harassment policy states the school will intervene to prevent mistreatment,promptly consider reports of suspected harassment,act to elicit behaviour change,and attempt to resolve issues by bringing the parties together.
Clifton said she was taking legal action because she doesn’t want others to have the experience she had. “It ruined my life for months,and caused me so much stress. I hope no other girl has to go through that,” she said.
The school’s principal,Steven Coote,declined to comment on the case.
“It is essential to prioritise the privacy and confidentiality of all parties involved,and so we are committed to engaging with the appropriate professionalism and sensitivity,” he said.
Coote arrived at the school in 2022 and was not named in the claim. A defence is due to be filed at a later date.
The 2011 case involved a female St Patrick’s College student who successfully argued the college failed to take reasonable steps to stop other students bullying her.
She had been targeted by the popular girls in her form,who would snigger,giggle,make comments about her,nudge her with their elbows,and tease her for wearing one-piece swimsuits or having skirts like their mothers.
Her mental health declined significantly over time. The college argued that nothing it could or should have done would have prevented the bullying from continuing as it allegedly did.
The woman was awarded about $133,000 including $34,700 for non-economic damages,$50,000 for future lost earnings,$25,000 for past lost earnings,plus superannuation,and reimbursement for her medical costs.
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