Bullying trial underway against school district

Trial is under way in Rutland Superior Court in a suit climing the Fair Haven School District didn't do enough to stop bullying that forced a family to move so two of their children could attend school in peace. Frank and Vincent Venturella say they were singled out for abuse by other students when their family moved here from New York in 2003. Their New York accents and Vincent's speech impediment made the brothers targets for other kids who made derogatory remarks about everything from their sexual orientations to their ethnicity, according to attorney Pamela Marsh. She said the two were shoved into lockers, called names and had their books knocked out of their hands day after day. Marsh said the daily harassment got so bad that the children were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and spent the summer of 2004 inside to avoid other children. The boys' parents went to school administrators for relief but the bullying continued, Marsh said. An attorney representing the school district said instances of bullying took place, he said it the school district did respond to them.