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Woodland Hills student involved in lawsuit speaks out for first time

A settlement has been reached in the civil rights complaint filed last year on behalf of five Woodland Hills School District students.

The district and the students have agreed to settle the claims for more than $500,000.

The lawsuit filed last year alleged a longstanding culture of violence at the high school.

Attorneys representing the former students said they hope the lawsuit that was filed corrects injustices and sparks change.

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The civil rights lawsuit was filed in 2017 against then-principal Kevin Murray, the school district and a list of others.

In one petition, the plaintiff claims she was assaulted by security officers on two separate occasions.

In another, filed on behalf of a 16-year-old student, the victim claims former principal Murray assaulted him and threatened to knock his teeth out.

In recent years, Channel 11 has covered many of these alleged assaults and in some cases, even obtained video.

Attorney Todd Hollis wrote in a statement, "as a result of the lawsuit, great progress has been made," citing a new Superintendent and high school principal's commitment to end violence.

"This current year, we've seen pretty much a 180 turnaround in behavior and in the response to issues at the high school," James Harris, superintendent of the Woodland Hills School District, told Channel 11 last week.

He said the district is dealing with historical problems but he and his staff are diligently working on changing the culture and rebuilding trust in the community.

Wednesday morning, the attorneys representing the former students will hold a news conference to discuss the settlement.

 

Cox Media Group

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