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Photo dated 15 January, 2010, of a vigil outside the high school Phoebe Prince attended. Don Treeger/AP/Press Association Images
Phoebe Prince

Phoebe Prince family settles case against school, but investigation continues

South Hadley school officials still face federal investigation over their handling of the alleged bullying of Prince before her death.

THE PARENTS OF PHOEBE PRINCE, the Irish teenager who committed suicide at her family’s home in the US at the start of this year, have settled their case against their daughter’s school.

15-year-old Prince hanged herself at her family’s home in South Hadley, Massachusetts, on 14 January, 2010.

It emerged after her death that her school had been aware of allegations she was being bullied by other students at the school before she died.

MassLive reports that in July, Jeremy Prince and Anne O’Brien filed a discrimination complaint against the South Hadley school system. They claimed the school and superintendent had failed to protect Phoebe.

Last month, the family’s lawyer said they had reached a “satisfactory settlement”. However, South Hadley school officials are still under federal investigation for their handling of Prince’s bullying. Allegations have emerged that handwritten notes relating to Prince’s bullying were destroyed.

Three of the six teenagers accused of bullying Phoebe Prince in the months before her suicide are due back in court next month. The Boston Herald reports that the group of teenagers are facing charges including harassment, civil rights violations and statutory rape.