Settlement could come in Anoka-Hennepin district bullying lawsuit

A settlement in the Anoka-Hennepin School District bullying lawsuit could be announced soon.

Last summer, two national civil rights groups sued the district on behalf of several students who said they were harassed because of their sexual orientation.

A consent decree on the Anoka-Hennepin school board's work session agenda Monday night signals a possible lawsuit settlement.

"In case we have a consent decree for the board to consider in a lawsuit regarding gender and sexual orientation harassment," district spokesperson Mary Olson said.

"There will be no agreement until the board takes action."

The suits claim a school district policy forced teachers to remain neutral when issues of sexual orientation come up in the classroom contributed to the harassment.

The school board dropped that policy last month, but said it wasn't because of the lawsuit. Discarding the policy has been a key demand in negotiations over the suit.