A Vancouver family has filed a civil claim in B.C. Supreme Court that alleges severe school bullying drove their daughter to suicidal behaviour and officials did not take the proper steps to stop it.
According to a notice of civil claim filed on Monday, Natalie and Uwe Boll say their daughter suffered from “self-hatred” and “suicidal behaviours” due to “rampant homophobia, racism, harassment and bullying” from students at Crofton House School, a private girls’ school on Vancouver’s west side.
The claim says a student made racist remarks towards their daughter, who was in Grade 6 at the time. The student allegedly told their daughter, who is of mixed race, that she would be better looking if she were “full white” and that she needed “plastic surgery to look more white.”
Officials at Crofton House did nothing to stop the student’s racial remarks, the claim alleges.
When their daughter entered Grade 7 in the fall of 2018, she was the subject of “homophobic rumours” and “hateful gossip.”
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Their daughter was also the subject of online attacks, the claim alleges. In January 2019, their daughter received more abusive messages that included comments such as “everyone at Crofton hates you,” “kill yourself” and “drink bleach.”
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Natalie Boll says some of the messages were sent via Tellonym, an app that allows users to send messages anonymously.
She eventually took away her daughter’s cellphone and internet access as a result of the bullying.
The abuse continued at the start of the school year in September, according to the claim.
A school adviser recommended the daughter make efforts to fit in by taking part in extracurricular activities.
Around the end of September, the daughter overdosed on Xanax, which was given to her by a fellow student, and she was sent to UBC Hospital where she received a dose of Narcan.
Staff saw indications that she had been cutting herself and put her on suicide watch.
She was sent to BC Children’s Hospital for a psychiatric assessment. According to the claim, a doctor told the family that their daughter should not return to Crofton House.
Natalie Boll says she met with Crofton House officials several times and the school “did not take sufficient measures to curtail or reprimand Crofton students who engaged in bullying.”
She told Global News she relocated her daughter to a different school where she has received “a lot of support.”
“I’m really hoping that with all of this support she will continue to heal,” she said.
Both Natalie and Uwe Boll are well known in the film industry.
In a statement to Global News, Ena Harrop, head of Crofton House, said the school “does not agree with the characterization of events as portrayed in the lawsuit and will provide a robust legal defence of the allegations.”
“While the School cannot share information on specific incidents, investigations, or members of our community, the concerns raised were thoroughly investigated, including working with our Vancouver Police Department liaison officer, and where warranted, actions were taken in line with our Code of Conduct.”
None of the allegations has been proven in court.
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