FRONT PAGE

Kearney Awarded $1 Million

Eva G.

The Board of Education (BoE) voted on April 28 to file objections to the recommendations by Administrative Law Judge Christine Kellett in the case Amelia Kearney v. Ithaca City School District (ICSD). Kellett ruled that the district did not provide Amelia Kearney’s daughter sufficient protection from racial harassment during the 2005-2006 school year. While a student at DeWitt Middle School, Kearney’s daughter was called racial slurs, spit at, and threatened.

On April 11, Kellett recommended that the district pay $1 million in damages to the Kearney family ($500,000 each to Amelia Kearney and her daughter) for pain and suffering. Kellet also ruled that the district should immediately implement staff training programs to combat racism. The $1 million sum does not appear to be covered by the district’s insurance. Instead, the money would come from the district’s fund balance, which is used for emergencies. The BoE was given 21 days to file objections to the judge’s ruling.

In response to the district’s objections, the IHS administration organized three student discussion forums, on April 29 and 30 and May 1. IHS counselor Patrick Blake facilitated the forums; he opened each one by reminding students that the discussion was meant to be a “talkback and feedback session.”