A year-long legal battle between the Enumclaw School District and one of its students has finally come to a close.
On Jan. 4 the court approved a settlement of $295,000 between the school district and a student and his family, who were suing the district for damages stemming from two years of bullying at Thunder Mountain Middle School.
According to the family, the student identified as A.M. was harassed by other students and the school allowed the bullying behavior to continue through inaction, turning A.M.’s environment into a war zone.
“With regard to the lawsuit filed against the District on December 17, 2014… this matter has been settled without the need for additional litigation and expense to all involved,” the district wrote in a release. “We believe this resolution is in the best interests of all involved, and will not involve District funds.”
The settlement comes without any admission of liability.
The family’s attorney, Yvonne Ward, said there is still victory in this settlement.
“This is the highest settlement for a non-sexual harassment case (in the state), and as far as I can tell, anywhere,” Ward said in a phone interview. “It’s a significant settlement.”
In her experience and research on bullying settlements nation wide, the highest settlements are a result of a minor committing suicide over the harassment they received, Ward said.
The second largest settlements stem from sexual harassment cases and egregious assaults.
The third level of bullying cases fits with this case, Ward explained, where there bullying was persistent but didn’t have the same severe elements of the first two categories. Ward said the large settlement amount reflects how persistent the bullying was and the school’s insensitivity toward the student’s situation.
Court documents included a six-page long log of bullying incidents, the vast majority towards A.M. but the occasional incident when A.M. was reported to be an instigator.
The log recorded 31 incidents from the end of the 2011 school year to mid 2013.
There was at least one incident when the Enumclaw police were called to the school as a response to A.M. being attacked by other students during a social event at the school.
The incident was recorded in the log, but it was not recorded that the police were involved.
The log recorded two plans the school implemented to help A.M.
One plan was to identify when and where A.M. was constantly harassed, letting him leave classes earlier than other students to avoid incidents and an alternative changing time for P.E. to help A.M. avoid entering and leaving the locker room with a large group. The school also changed A.M.’s math period time.
The other plan was to change A.M’s locker location, another spot that A.M. consistently encountered trouble.
At least one student was given an out-of-school suspension due to the bullying, according to principal Virginia Callison’s declaration.
The district has declined to comment further on the settlement.
