A Bay Ridge prep school that charges up to $32,000 in tuition has been socked with a $28 million lawsuit by the parents of an 11-year-old boy who they claim was roughed up by an administrator, and then expelled along with his two brothers in an act of revenge.
But school administrators responded by slapping the family with a counter $100,000 defamation suit, claiming that they’re the ones who have been hurt.
The family alleges in a case filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court that Jon Barry Kablack, an assistant director at Adelphi Academy, grabbed the child in the school cafeteria on Feb. 7, leaving marks and bruises on his arm. The child’s mother later notified cops, and Kablack was hauled in for questioning, but no charges were filed.
The parents’ suit states that the victim and his brothers, 14 and 8, were later expelled — a move the family claims was retaliatory and not reflective of the children’s school conduct.
Kablack and Adelphi were the ones out of order, according to family lawyer Bruce Baron.
“A teacher’s hands should never be placed on a student’s person,” he said. “Should it occur, the school’s fiduciary duty is medical and law enforcement intervention, not retaliation and cover up.”
Private schools, unlike public schools, are not required by law to report alleged abuse to authorities, said a spokesman for the state’s Department of Education.
Reach reporter Colin MIxson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.
