WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that schools maybe held liable for student-on-student sexualharassment, but that proving liability will bedifficult.
The justices, by a 5-4 vote, held that the Monroe County Board of Education, which oversees Hubbard Elementary School in Forsyth, Ga., can be sued for the harassment of LaShonda Davis by another student because Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits so-called student-on-student sexual harassment. Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education, 97-843. But students filing sexual harassment claims against school districts will face a very difficult hurdle in their attempt to hold the districts liable.
