St. Paul Public Schools Settles Teacher Retaliation Lawsuit

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — St. Paul Public Schools has agreed to settle a 2017 whistleblower lawsuit with a black former teacher who accused the district of retaliating against him for criticizing its racial equity policy that led to a reduction in suspensions of African-American students.

U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ruled in May that the case could go to trial after concluding a sensible juror might agree that 50-year-old Aaron Benner was forced to quit.

But the school board officially approved the $525,000 payout Tuesday before Benner's scheduled trial next month.

Benner in 2013 criticized the district's disciplinary initiatives that included moving more children into normal classrooms and reducing suspensions for African-American students. Benner said that disruptive students were placed in his classroom and contended the policy was "crippling black children" by not holding them accountable.

(© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

 

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.