California High School Won’t Admit Wrongdoing, But Pays $25k for Student Discrimination

“Cheri suspected that her daughter [a Vallejo, California student] might be gay long before she ever told her, but Rochelle soon learned, some of the teachers at Bethel were not as supportive. ‘Comments were said like they don’t know if I was a boy or a girl, I need to pull up my pants, I’m a lady. I couldn’t be put into a girls locker room,’ said Hamilton. And these acts occurred in a state where the law requires districts to protect students from harassment or discrimination. At her mom’s insistence, Hamilton pressed her case all the way to the ACLU. On Monday, it and the Vallejo City Unified School District announced a settlement. In agreeing to settle this case, the school district did not acknowledge wrong doing, but actions may speak louder than words. The district will pay Hamilton $25,000. The district also agreed to a mandatory training program for students and faculty about discrimination and harassment.” [ABC/KGO]