Education A National Roundup

Former Kansas Student Wins Settlement in Bullying Case

By The Associated Press — December 30, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A small-town teenager in Kansas who was bullied for years by classmates because they believed he was gay has been awarded $440,000 in a settlement, his lawyer said.

The settlement last month ended a long-running battle between the 1,500-student Tonganoxie school district and 18-year- old Dylan Theno, who sued in May 2004 claiming he was harassed with homophobic slurs from 7th grade until he quit school in his junior year. Tonganoxie, 20 miles west of Kansas City, has about 2,700 residents.

Under the terms, the school district and its insurance company will pay the cost of the settlement, said Mr. Theno’s lawyer, Arthur Benson. “I expect this case will have profound effects nationwide in dealing with schoolyard bullying and harassment,” Mr. Benson said. “Insurance companies will have a very powerful economic incentive to see that districts’ anti-harassment policies are aggressive and effective.”

The lawsuit had argued the district enforced its sexual-harassment policy when a female student was harassed, but didn’t in Mr. Theno’s case.

A federal jury in August had found in Mr. Theno’s favor, but the district appealed and a judge ordered a federal mediator to try to settle the dispute.

Mr. Theno, who testified that he isn’t gay, recently earned a General Educational Development credential and attends a vocational-technical school in Kansas City.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Mathematics Webinar How to Build Students’ Confidence in Math
Learn practical tips to build confident mathematicians in our webinar.
Student Achievement K-12 Essentials Forum How to Build and Scale Effective K-12 State & District Tutoring Programs
Join this free virtual summit to learn from education leaders, policymakers, and industry experts on the topic of high-impact tutoring.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: April 16, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Quiz ICYMI: Do You Know What 'High-Quality Curriculum' Really Means?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of curricula.
iStock/Getty
Education Quiz ICYMI: Lawsuits Over Trump's Education Policies And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of money symbol, books, gavel, and scale of justice.
DigitalVision Vectors
Education Quiz ICYMI: Trump Moves to Shift Special Ed Oversight And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on TikTok in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on TikTok in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP