Chicago schools reach $1M settlement in sexual assault case
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CHICAGO (AP) — Officials with Chicago Public Schools have reached a $1 million settlement with the family of a former special education student who reported being sexually assaulted by another classmate at an elementary school in 2014.
The lawsuit was filed anonymously by the family in 2016. The case was into the second week of a trial when the district negotiated a settlement.
The Chicago Board of Education approved the settlement Wednesday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
“There is a sense obviously that money can’t replace what happened,” said Rafael Lázaro, the family’s lawyer. “They are happy that the process is over and they’re looking forward to actually providing the services that their child needs with the funding that’s going to come.
A CPS spokeswoman said the district believes that those impacted by a “legally-recognized failure on the district’s part should be compensated in a reasonable manner that will remedy injuries to the student.”
The student, who is on the autism spectrum and has a learning disability, was 12 when an older student also in special education, allegedly sexually assaulted him in a bathroom at Jordan Community Elementary School.
