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A Corona del Mar high school is being sued for “fostering a sexist and homophobic atmosphere.”
The high school, which was in the news previously when they canceled a planned production of RENT, also failed to protect a student after three football players made a video post on Facebook in which they “threatened to rape and kill a gay female classmate and used slurs to describe homosexuals.”
It was posted on a fourth students profile but has since been taken down.
That student reportedly threatened the female classmate in school. The ACLU cites the School did little to investigate the incident, “included assigning an assistant football coach at the school to investigate the harassment, an obvious conflict of interest because three of the four accused students are members of the football team.”
Only one boy was suspended.
The ACLU suit specifies, “school and district officials, through their action and inaction, have not only failed to take steps to address this hostile environment, but they have contributed to it and given sanction to it.” The threatened young woman had to change her school schedule and the administration did nothing to protect her, despite repeated complaints from her parents. They are now considering a restraining order against the menacing male students.
The document filed by ACLU attorney Lori Rifkin, went on to note slurs are commonplace in the school’s environment. “Students are routinely referred to … with words such as ‘dyke,’ ‘butch,’ ‘fairy,’ ‘gay,’ ‘homo’ and ‘queer’ by other students at school in hallways and classrooms within earshot of teachers, but without repercussion.”
Attorneys for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District say there are, “numerous factual errors and mistakes” in the legal document. But the school district claims, “these allegations are very serious and the district will utilize its best efforts to ascertain the truth of these matters, as well as to be sure there are procedures to promptly resolve discrimination and harassment disputes,” according to district Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard.
