Brookings School Board approves confidential legal settlement

The Brookings School Board approves a confidential settlement. A federal judge ruled last year that the District violated the due process rights of a former student when they removed her and then failed to provide adequate opportunities for her to continue her education.

According to court documents, the student had a history of harassing and threatening a middle school teacher before being removed from Brookings High School in 2013. The district enrolled her in an alternative learning center but she was removed from that program after another teacher reported her for making threatening remarks.

For about six weeks, E.S. was only allowed to take an online class while being barred from school property.

The district had sought to dismiss the case, but Judge Karen Schreier ruled the district deprived E.S. of her due process rights. Schreier also ruled the district failed to follow its own policies on long-term suspensions.

The confidential settlement was approved last night after an executive session by the school board. The motion passed 4-0 with School Board Member and former Superintendent Roger DeGroot abstaining since he was named in the suit.

E.S. transferred to Sioux Falls and graduated from high school in 2017.