Community Outraged that Student Might Sue School Over Knee Injury

Community members are outraged that a student's family might sue a school district over a knee injury.

Community members are outraged at news that a Huntington Beach, Calif., middle school student's family might sue a school district over a knee injury he suffered in a physical education class. According to a claim filed with the district (a precursor to a civil suit), Jacob Schopp-Kirkup told his teacher, Dave Sanford, that his knees were sore after he was directed to attempt a long jump. "Do your best," Sanford allegedly said, and Schopp-Kirkup ran down the lane and heard his knee pop as he pushed off the plank, breaking a bone in and dislocating his kneecap. The boy's family is asking for $2,000 to cover medical bills.

Online readers of The Orange County Register, where the claim was reported, are unanimous in their disdain for the family. Calling it "stupid," one reader wrote in to ask, "If the parents were so concerned about their kid's complaints of pain, why didn't they take the kid to the doctor and/or write the kid a note, excusing him from physical activity for a few days? Another case of parents not taking responsibility for their kid, rather, trying to blame the school."