The details of this case are very vague. All we know is that there is a bully and a victim of said bullying. In my honest opinion, I believe that both should be punished; with a harsher punishment dealt to the bully like expulsion or suspension, and the ultimate blame going to the school. I say this because there is only so much an individual can take when it comes to bullying, the victim was bound to react, and it was only a matter of time.
This reaction could have come in multiple forms; reporting the situation to a trusted adult, self-harm, or dealing with it himself. One of the questions we should be asking is why didn’t the victim think he could tell an adult. Where he was being bullied is swarmed with adults who are supposed to have his best interests at heart and with the amount of bullying he is said to have faced, there is no way the teachers or any adult with an ounce of sense didn’t notice. They just didn’t care enough to do something about it and it showed. The way he reacted tells a lot about his school environment because it means he knew nothing would be done about it so he decided to take matters into his own hands.
Some may argue anger blinds all reasonings, but anger stems from somewhere. The victim did not just randomly decide that he wanted to do some harm. He had reached his breaking point where he felt justified enough to hurt his bully. The victim must have examined the risks and even if he didn’t, at least he has sent a message across. He can do anything without batting an eyelid if you push him far enough.
Other arguments could be that violence is never the answer and I agree, this is why the victim will not go scot-free. Therefore, I totally believe that even with the 2 boys are in the wrong and should be punished, the school should be the one being sued because, at the end of the day, this happened in their care.