The Macomb Board of Education has approved an out-of-court settlement in the federal lawsuit against the district.
“At the end of the day, the Macomb School District did no wrongdoing. That’s the way the settlement was written and agreed upon,” said Superintendent Patrick Twomey, who added the judge is not allowing the release of other details, such as whether the district had to make a payment.
Two former students filed the civil lawsuit more than two years ago. They had asked for $10 million.
The women said that when they attended Macomb High School, a male student sexually assaulted and harassed them repeatedly on school grounds.
The women said they reported what happened to Principal John Rumley and Assistant Principal Ed Fulkerson. The lawsuit accused the administrators of failing to investigate, make arrangements to prevent future harassment, or enforce a civil order of protection.
Rumley is no longer the school’s principal. Fulkerson is still assistant principal.
The names of the students involved in the case are not included in court files because they were juveniles at the time of the alleged attacks.
The lawsuit stated the McDonough County State’s Attorney’s office filed juvenile criminal sexual abuse charges against the male student in 2016. It also said the student served time in a juvenile detention facility and wrote a letter of apology.
