Tag Archives: education

Access Denied for Some Students

School board decision

Earlier this year, in March, former students sued a San Francisco school board of education citing Brown Act violations. Specifically, members of the Friends of Lowell Foundation have alleged that the decision to alter existing merit-based admissions standards was secretly conducted and failed to offer adequate opportunities for community engagement and analysis. The Brown Act enforces government operated or funded entities, such as the school district and the San Francisco Board of Education, to discuss business measures in open meetings. The Friends of Lowell Foundation has now teamed up with two additional associations to request an injunction related to the case. Continue reading →

Traveling a Slippery Slope

Dangerous terrain

A school committed to providing an education on avalanche safety is now the topic of a recent lawsuit. The family of Peter Marshall is suing Silverton Avalanche School, among other defendants, for wrongful death.  According to the lawsuit, on January 5, 2019, there was a misjudgment of how steep the slope was, as well as the potential to cause an avalanche.  Two avalanches were triggered, which led to Marshall getting trapped under several feet of snow. The guide, Zachary Lovell, and the remaining students searched for Marshall but were unable to find him until 50 minutes after the second avalanche. Continue reading →

Handcuff Lawsuit Secures a Settlement

Cuffs are costly

Following an October 2015 incident concerning a seven-year-old child being placed in handcuffs at school, the parties involved have recently agreed to settle for $40,000. Half will be paid by the city of Flint, Michigan, and the other will be paid by the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce.  The mother of the young boy, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, filed the lawsuit in 2018.  The police were called after the child kicked an object and ran on bleachers while participating in an after-school activity.  In order to calm the child, a resource officer handcuffed his hands behind his back for almost an hour.  The apparent reason for the prolonged detainment was that the officer was not able to locate a key to unlock the handcuffs. Continue reading →

Learn Your Lesson

Texting your teacher?

The mother of a junior high student is taking legal action against her daughter’s vice principal, alleging negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.  According to the lawsuit, Penns Grove Middle School Vice Principal, Abner Mendoza, established a personal connection with the student that was defined as inappropriate. An exchange of text messages indicate communication outside of the scope of education or school-related matters. A police report was filed, as well as a report to the school.  The mother chose to follow up with extended measures of legal action when the school district failed to issue substantial disciplinary action.  At the time of filing, the vice principal still maintained his position within the school and was not facing any criminal charges. Continue reading →

Streaming a Settlement

Students hear good news

The National Association of the Deaf did not remain silent when online video lectures posted for programs through Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology did not include captions or subtitles.  Those who are hard of hearing were not capable of learning from online educational material.  Given the public forum of the posted videos, the subject was considered a federal issue. While the videos were open to any individuals who had access to the internet, not everyone was able to learn from the resources provided.  The 2015 lawsuit has finally seen resolution. Continue reading →