14/07/2025
SC HOLDS SCHOOL LIABLE FOR BULLYING INCIDENT, ORDERS ₱650K IN DAMAGES
THE SUPREME COURT (SC) has held Mother Goose Special School System, Inc. civilly liable for negligence after a bullying incident led to the repeated assault of a grade school student during class, reinforcing the legal obligation of schools to provide a safe learning environment.
In a decision penned by Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez, the Court’s Second Division ruled in favor of the victim’s parents, spouses Samuel and Villa Palaganas, affirming lower court findings that the Dagupan City-based school was grossly negligent in handling the case. The Court ordered Mother Goose School to pay the parents ₱650,000 in damages and attorney’s fees.
The case stemmed from a 2007 incident in which the victim, then a second-grade student, was punched multiple times by two classmates after refusing to return a mechanical pencil. The physical assault happened inside a computer classroom in the absence of teacher Gerald Gomez, who had temporarily stepped out.
Despite immediate reporting by the victim to school staff and his parents’ repeated appeals, the school dismissed the altercation as mere “teasing” or “rough play.” No disciplinary action was taken against the assailants, and the school conducted what the High Court described as a delayed and flawed internal inquiry that failed to uncover the full extent of the assault or assign accountability.
“The school failed to address the punching incident and ignored the formal requests of the victim’s parents for a proper investigation,” the decision noted. “Instead, it attempted to minimize the harm and took no effective remedial action.”
Dissatisfied with the school’s response, the Palaganases filed a civil case for damages against the institution, the supervising teacher, and the fathers of the aggressors.
While the trial court and Court of Appeals had earlier held both the school and the teacher liable, the Supreme Court exonerated Gomez, ruling that it was the institution itself—through its systemic inaction and policy gaps—that had breached its duty.
The ruling emphasized that schools are bound by a contractual obligation to ensure peace, order, and the safety of students within school grounds and during school-sponsored activities. Institutions may be exempt from liability only if they can prove they exercised due diligence, which the Court found lacking in this case.
Among the cited failures of Mother Goose School were: lack of teacher training, absence of clear protocols for handling student violence, delayed communication with parents, and a superficial investigation that led to no consequences for those responsible.
This landmark decision reaffirms that Philippine schools must go beyond academic instruction and act proactively in safeguarding students’ well-being.
source: SC Public Information Office
(sc.judiciary.gov.ph)
**read the full text of the Decision in G.R. No. 267331 (Mother Goose Special School System, Inc. v. Spouses Palaganas and Villa Palaganas, January 20, 2025) at: https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/267331-mother-goose-special-school-system-inc-vs-spouses-samuel-palaganas-and-villa-palaganas
