SEATTLE (AP) — The Aberdeen School District has agreed to pay $135,000 to settle a lawsuit by a former student who was badly bullied.
Russell Dickerson III is now 20 years old. Classmates smashed an egg on his head, taunted him over his race and perceived sexual orientation, and set up a malicious MySpace page in his name.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington represented Dickerson in the case, and says school officials must be held responsible when they fail to protect children from bullying. Dickerson and his parents reported the harassment many times, but it continued.
One student eventually pleaded guilty to a harassment charge for writing a racial slur on the MySpace page.
Dickerson gets $100,000 in the settlement, while the ACLU of Washington will receive $35,000 for legal fees.
