Confidential Agreement In Berkeley Sex-Abuse Case Sparks Criticism

By Mark Walsh

Recent revelations that the Berkeley, Calif., school district is paying more than $1 million to settle a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse of female students by a former 4th grade teacher have spawned criticism of the confidential agreement.

The financial terms of the settlement, reached last summer, came to light only about a month ago. The details quickly raised questions about whether the district had sought to sidestep a state law that bars confidential settlements involving taxpayer funds by persuading a federal judge to require that the terms be kept secret.

The case is the second involving sexual abuse by a teacher that the 8,000-student district has settled in the past two years. In 1994, the district paid $1.8 million to settle allegations that a high school band instructor sexually...