10/07/2025
SC:
At any rate, records show that Mother Goose School was indeed grossly negligent, as shown in the following manner:
Foremost, the teachers in Mother Goose School were ill-equipped in addressing a student's complaints of physical harm. Rhys initially reported the incident to his Hekasi teacher but he was just ignored. Rhys's classmate then reported the matter to their class adviser who merely confirmed with Noel and Mark, the offenders, whether they had indeed punched Rhys;
Second, despite learning about the punching incident, Mother Goose School did not inform Rhys's parents about the harm committed against him.Had the offender's mother, Gloria, not called Rhys's mother, Rhys's parents would not have known about the incident. Rhys would not have been able to undergo medical checkup;
Third, Mother Goose School itself does not have a protocol in addressing any harm committed by one student against another, which explains why its teachers also did not know how to handle the situation;
Fourth, Mother Goose School conducted an investigation only upon
the request and prodding of Rhys's father, Samuel;
Fifth, Mother Goose School did not update Rhys's parents regarding the investigation, which led Samuel to send a second letter requesting for an investigation;
Sixth, the results of Mother Goose School's investigation was replete with inaccurate information. No disciplinary action was taken against the offenders despite their own admission that they punched Rhys multiple times.
The (SC) has held a school civilly liable for negligence after a bullying incident led to the assault of a student during class.
In a Decision written by Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez, the SC’s Second Division found that Mother Goose Special School System, Inc. (Mother Goose School) failed to address a punching incident involving three grade school students inside one of its classrooms.
When the victim’s parents raised the matter with the school, their complaints were ignored, prompting them to file formal requests for investigation. Mother Goose School ultimately concluded the incident was mere "teasing" or "rough play" and took no disciplinary action.
Dissatisfied, the parents filed a complaint for damages against the school, the teachers, and the other students’ fathers.
Ordering Mother Goose School to pay the victim’s parents PHP 650,000 in damages and attorney’s fees, the SC agreed with the trial court and the Court of Appeals that Mother Goose School was grossly negligent in handling the punching incident.
The SC emphasized that schools have a contractual obligation to ensure a safe learning environment. It also reiterated that schools must maintain peace and order within their premises, and even outside campus during school activities. They may avoid liability only upon proof they exercised due diligence.
The SC found Mother Goose School negligent for its lack of proper protocols, failure to inform the victim’s parents promptly, and inaccuracies in its investigation.
Read the full text of the Press Release at https://tinyurl.com/m86ufzwa.
Read the full text of the Decision at https://tinyurl.com/mparp5dp.
Copying of this content is subject to the SC PIO’s Credit Attribution Policy: https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/credit-attribution-policy/.
