The families of two children who were suspended after holding BB guns during online classes last year have settled their federal lawsuits with Jefferson Parish Schools, according to court records.
In a July 7 order, Chief Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown said she had been advised that plaintiffs for the families of fourth-grader Ka’Mauri Harrison and sixth-grader Tomie Brown had agreed to a settlement with the school board. The board agreed to pay $92,500 to Harrison’s family and $72,500 to Brown’s family, the Associated Press reported.
Ka’Mauri Harrison was seen last fall moving a BB gun on camera during a virtual class held during the pandemic after his younger brother accidentally knocked it over. A teacher initially described the BB gun as a rifle, and Ka’Mauri was suspended for six days, prompting the litigation.
In a statement emailed to the Louisiana Record, the Jefferson Parish School Board said the case involving the Harrison family and a similar lawsuit by the Brown family in the Eastern District of Louisiana had been resolved.
“The Harrison-Williams and Brown families look forward to continuing to strengthen their relationships with the school board, teachers and administrators” the statement says. “The school board and Harrison-Williams and Brown families are pleased that they were able to reach a resolution and can now refocus on the education of Jefferson Parish students in an orderly, safe and welcoming environment in both virtual and non-virtual classroom settings.”
The settlement, however, does not resolve other related lawsuits. Litigation in state courts is still pending, as is a federal lawsuit filed by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry’s office alleging the school board violated the state open-meetings law during sessions involving school disciplinary policies.
Landry’s office is now looking at whether the settlement will lead the district to change its policies to avoid similar issues in the future.
“So far, we are glad they settled with the students,” Solicitor General Liz Murrill said in an email to the Louisiana Record. “We continue to believe their records should have been completely cleared and are concerned that other students were subjected to discipline that exceeded the powers of the board to impose."