refuse to transport back from out of state

My 18 year old son was refused transportation back from an out of state trip 200 miles from home. he had been arrested and released by police and the assistant principal refused him transportation home over an hour before we were contacted.
My son made it 3/4 of the way back to us when in his despair he took his life by jumping between the train cars.
We have filed a wroungful death suit and because of NY state'sarchiac laws the schools insurance company will throw us a few thousand dollars and walk away.
Shouldn't there be a breach of contract between the school and us as parents, aren't they to act in loco parentis? Could it possibly be a federal suit being my son was transported out of state?
My attorney is from a small firm and balks at these ideas. Unfortunatly the other firms I wrote to don't seem interested because there is no big pay off in sight.
Any feedback would be apprecciated
Thank You
Bob and Karen Pace
631-727-5610
pacer436@aol

O.K. , here I walk into the lion's den.
You ask many questions without providing any details about the circumstances that led, sadly, to your son's death.
Reading between the lines, I see an impetuous, head-strong kid, unwilling to wait even a brief time before you were contacted and, unfortunately, striking out, alone and with no money, on his own. I would also guess you had many behavioral problems with him for many years. Another obvious question is, "jumped", or, more likely, "fell"?
It is fruitless to try to make a federal case out of this or to blame any state laws. Your attorney is wise to back away from that suggestion because he is not willing to front the large expenses involved with little chance of recovery. Are you?