The grief-stricken father of Phoebe Prince, has blamed her school for her death, saying that the teachers turned a blind eye to the bullies.

Phoebe committed suicide in January after being tormented by high school classmates after she moved to Massachusetts from Clare the previous September.

Although school officials have insisted that they have a strict anti-bullying policy, Phoebe’s father, Jeremy Prince, told the Evening Herald that the school should have done something to prevent the tragedy.

"The whole culture was wrong at that school. The school turned a blind eye for administrative reasons," he said. "They closed ranks.

"The adults at the high school responded to this like administrators, not educators. Administrators minimize everything, they want as little hassle as possible. An educator would be setting an example.

“As a person, she wasn't that vulnerable. It was the environment of the school and the threats of physical violence. She was susceptible to that,'' he added.

Five of the alleged bullies have been brought to court for their part in her death. Mr. Prince says he hopes to see justice served.

"I'd dearly like to see admission and contrition, so that I could forgive," he said.

"If they confessed to the court and said they were sorry, I'd appeal to the court for total leniency.

"You can go two ways. You can look to the court for revenge or you can look for leniency. The latter path is mine."