Students Claiming Sex Harassment Win Right To Sue

By Mark Walsh

WASHINGTON--Victims of sexual harassment and other forms of sex discrimination in schools may sue for monetary damages under federal civil-rights law, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week.

The decision, in a case brought by a former Georgia high-school student who alleged she had been sexually harassed and abused by a teacher, greatly expands the ability of students to obtain redress from school districts for acts of discrimination.

The ruling "could result in some substantial damage awards,'' said Gwendolyn H. Gregory, the deputy general counsel of the...