The Los Angeles school district will pay $139 million in settlements to victims of the Miramonte Elementary School child-abuse scandal.
The money will settle about 150 claims from former students and their families. The students had been subjected to lewd acts by former 3rd grade teacher Mark Berndt, who was arrested in 2012. Last year, he pleaded no contest to the charges and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
The scandal led to a new California law meant to speed up the process for dismissing teachers for gross misconduct.
Local residents pray during a candlelight vigil following a shooting at Perry High School, on Jan. 4, 2024, in Perry, Iowa. The deaths in school shootings last year have led to new legislation in a half-dozen states.
Naomi Tolentino leads a meeting on student attendance at J.C. Harmon High School on Jan. 16, 2025 in Kansas City, Kansas. Tolentino showed school administrators recent data reflecting positive progress in combating chronic absenteeism.
Naomi Tolentino walks into J.C. Harmon High School on Jan. 16, 2025, in Kansas City, Kan. Tolentino is the coordinator for student support programs and often visits school administrative teams to check on their progress in lowering chronic absenteeism among their students.
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