HART SETTLES SUIT ALLEGING RACIAL BIAS TERMS NOT YET DISCLOSED.Byline: ALEX DOBUZINSKIS Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, -- The William S William, crown prince of Germany William or Frederick William, 1882–1951, crown prince of Germany, son of William II. In World War I he commanded (1914) an army on the Western Front and was nominal commander in the German attack . Hart Union High School District has reached a settlement in a case brought by four students alleging racial discrimination, but officials have refused to disclose how much will be paid. The lawsuit was filed last year by attorney Gloria Allred Gloria Rachel Allred (born Gloria Rachel Bloom on July 3, 1941) is an American lawyer and radio talk show host. She is also the mother of Court TV hostess Lisa Bloom. on behalf of four African-American students from Valencia High. The lawsuit accused Hart district officials of not doing enough to protect the students from racist bullying Bullying Chowne, Parson Stoyle terrorizes parish; kidnaps children. [Br. Lit.: The Maid of Sker, Walsh Modern, 94–95] Claypole, Noah bully; becomes thief in Fagin’s gang. [Br. Lit. , slurs and graffiti graffiti Form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group. Technically the term applies to designs scratched through a layer of paint or plaster, but its meaning has been extended to other markings. . The agreement has not been officially announced, but court records indicate the plaintiffs asked the judge to dismiss their case June 26 because the school board had agreed to a settlement. ``Both sides, as part of the settlement agreement, agreed to communicate publicly with the same statement,'' said school board member Steven Sturgeon sturgeon, primitive fish of the northern regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. Unlike evolutionarily advanced fishes, it has a fine-grained hide, with very reduced scalation, a mostly cartilaginous skeleton, upturned tail fins, and a mouth set well back on the . ``I'm surprised it hasn't been out. As far as I know, it was all approved somewhere around the Fourth of July Fourth of July, Independence Day, or July Fourth, U.S. holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of it began during the American Revolution. .'' Pat Willett, a district spokeswoman, said a settlement announcement is pending. ``We can't release anything until there's a joint agreement with the opposing counsel, and the opposing counsel is out of town,'' she said. The Daily News demanded the details of the settlement Thursday in a formal request under state public-records law, after Superintendent Jaime Castellanos cited an agreement with Allred's firm that he said could preclude pre·clude tr.v. pre·clud·ed, pre·clud·ing, pre·cludes 1. To make impossible, as by action taken in advance; prevent. See Synonyms at prevent. 2. the district from releasing the information. By Monday, district officials had not responded. Jim Ewert, legal counsel for the California Newspaper Publishers Association, said the district's obligation to release the amount of the settlement is clear. ``Quite frankly, it's sort of the hallmark of democracy that taxpayers completely understand how their funds are being spent,'' Ewert said. While school officials said they are constrained con·strain tr.v. con·strained, con·strain·ing, con·strains 1. To compel by physical, moral, or circumstantial force; oblige: felt constrained to object. See Synonyms at force. 2. about a settlement announcement as part of an agreement with Allred, Ewert said the district cannot enter into an agreement that prevents it from disclosing the amount of a settlement. ``I've seen it attempted before. I've never seen it (be) successful,'' Ewert said. ``There's no court that has ever found that a school district can keep this information from the public.'' Allred declined to comment. The four Valencia High students accused the district of violating their civil rights. The lawsuit also stated that it was considered ``cool'' to be racist at Valencia High and that African-American students suffered racial epithets and acts of intimidation. Sturgeon said he was not concerned that the district had not yet disclosed the amount of the settlement, and school board member Gloria Mercado-Fortine said information on the agreement will eventually be available to the public. ``We are going to come out with a statement that the attorneys are working on, so I think that will be pretty clear,'' she said. ``It will be very, very clear when that comes out.'' alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com (661) 257-5253 |
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