Harassment Cases
In 2002, the school district settled a federal lawsuit out of court by agreeing to pay $451,000 to Derek Henkle, a high school student who charged that school officials had allowed him to be verbally and physically harassed on account of his sexual orientation. The district admitted no wrongdoing, but agreed to institute a series of programs to protect students' rights to free expression and to attend school in a non-hostile environment. Henkle's attorneys called it "the largest pre-trial award of its kind in history".
In 2009, the Washoe County School District agreed to pay $350,000 to Jana Elhifny, an Egyptian-American female student who claimed she had been harassed for being a Muslim and wearing a headscarf. It also paid $50,000 to a non-Muslim female student who was ostracized by other students after she befriended Elhifny. The district praised its personnel for their "professional and thorough handling of educational and personal issues". Her attorney disagreed and said: "I don't believe a district pays $400,000 if it believes it has no exposure."
Read more about this topic: Washoe County School District
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