A 19-year-old girl has been awarded £1 million by a jury in
compensation for being forced to urinate in a bucket while
she was a student at Patrick Henry High School in San Diego,
California.
The girl who was 14-years-old at the time of the incident had
requested for permission from her teacher to use the
bathroom, however, the teacher, Gonja Wolf, who thought the
school had a strict 'no bathroom breaks during class' policy
told her she could not go and suggested she use a bucket in
the supply room.
The pupil reportedly took the option of urinating in the bucket
and flushing it down a sink. This she claims led to her being
humiliated and bullied in school to the point that she became
depressed and attempted suicide. She sued the school after
it rejected a claim for £20,000.
The school's district attorney, Katheryn Martin, told the court
that the teacher had not intended to humiliate the pupil and
referred to Ms Wolf's suggestion to the girl as a "lapse of
judgment which she thought was a good idea".
The pupil was awarded £1 million in compensation plus
£32,500 to cover medical expenses. The school was not
satisfied with the decision reached by the jury and are
considering appealing the judgement, as revealed by a
spokesperson for the school district.
