The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against Corona Del Mar High School and officials at the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, stating they allowed sexist and homophobic harassment at the school after a video was posted on Facebook showing a female student getting harassed by three male students, according to the Mercury News.
The district is accused of not providing a sufficient response to the video, which was posted by a fourth student who was also involved in the incident. In the video, the male students used homophobic and sexist language while discussing sexually assaulting and killing the female student, according to the lawsuit.
The female student is identified as Mary Doe. Mary Doe, her parents and a gay rights group are named as plaintiffs. However, the ACLU notes that although the complaint is based on the school’s suspected acceptance of homophobia, Mary Doe is not gay.
The lawsuit accuses Principal Fal Asrani of not responding to Mary Doe’s parents’ safety concerns. Although three of the four accused students are on the football team, Asrani assigned an assistant football coach to investigate the harassment.
For its part, the district said officials had been trying to resolve the issue when they were informed about the lawsuit. Additionally, the district said the suit had factual errors and mistakes. The lawsuit names district Superintendent Jeffrey Hubbard, Asrani, an assistant principal and the district as defendants.
The plaintiffs seek unspecified damages. Furthermore, the plaintiffs ask that the school be forced to take steps rectify the alleged homophobic atmosphere on campus.
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