BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Bellingham Public Schools (BPS) has settled a lawsuit filed against it by a family who claims the district severely mishandled reports of sexual harassment against their daughter.

District spokesperson Dana Smith confirmed to My Bellingham Now that BPS and the family have agreed to “an amicable settlement.” Smith says the district is declining to comment any further on the settlement “out of respect for the privacy and dignity of those involved.”

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in March, accused the district of failing to follow federal and state laws when the incidents were reported. According to the complaint, a 15-year-old student at Options High School was physically assaulted and sexually harassed several times by a male student in the fall of 2022.

The girl’s parents made the school’s assistant principal aware of the harassment, who responded by making both students sign a no-contact agreement. The girl eventually withdrew from Options after her family says the male student violated the no-contact order several times and district administrators did little to address it.

The girl’s family says she lost academic credits and was later diagnosed with PTSD due to ongoing trauma from the experience. Their lawsuit also claimed that the district’s sexual harassment policy and procedures had been out of compliance for several years.

Smith says BPS remains deeply invested in improving its proactive approaches and responses to any type of harassment, intimidation or bullying.