School board chair marks official end to Kelly lawsuit by re-reading a previous statement whqr.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from whqr.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The settlement ends four years of litigation in a case filed by men who testified they were sexually abused and exploited by former New Hanover County Schools teacher Michael Earl Kelly. In addition to the $5.75 million, paid exclusively by Liberty Mutual and its subsidiaries, the school has agreed to expand training on recognizing and reporting abuse and publishing a report on its efforts to improve Title IX compliance and sexual abuse prevention. The school board expressed "sorrow" over the damage done by Kelly, but its statement did not include an apology or an admission of wrongdoing.
While most government agencies face tumult from time to time, few have experienced the consistent level of scandal, controversy, and public outrage that the New Hanover County Schools district has faced. That’s made the chief communications officer position, as a public face of the district, a tough gig. The district just lost its fourth CCO this time, to New Hanover County.
On Tuesday, the New Hanover County School Board voted unanimously to formally ask North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein to immediately release the State Bureau Investigation (SBI) file on the school system’s alleged obstruction of justice. The board also settled on legal services for the next six months.
Robert Adam Burns started grooming a girl when she was 10 and began sexually abusing her in the following years. She had also been victimized by Peter Michael Frank, the former New Hanover County Schools band teacher who was sentenced to decades in prison last year.