It was the CHILD who beared false witness. The principal was going on a he said/she said from the kids.
Look I've said before her problem was not investigating further. But this story leaves out important details in other areas as well. Did the punished child have a history of stealing?
I've been around my Xstep-kids friends enough to see there's plenty of loser kids in public schools. And every last one of them had parents that would protect their deliquent butts every time they got into trouble (my Xstep-kids included).
Like I said, will this incident scar this child for life? Hardly. If I were her mom I would have gone to the principal, ALONE, and asked her if she would politely apologize to my child for the incident. And then I'd be happy - done - and moved on (and my child would too because suing doesn't fix a DAMN thing!)
You have set up a straw man. It possibly may not reduce the child into a cringing nothing afraid to venture out on the street, but ever so slightly this child's idea of justice will be cheapened.
And the teacher who furthered the lie, not even bothering to take obvious steps to verify.
Guilt by similarity?
DDT
By that logic, Al Sharpton didn't slander Steven Pagones in the Tawana Brawley case; he was just going on Brawley said when he repeated it. Are you prepared to make that claim?