attorney who sued the hawaii dept of education

by Lavinia Bahringer 6 min read

The lawsuit, filed by attorneys Michael Green and Peter Hsieh, contends that school officials, despite knowing about the ongoing bullying, took no reasonable steps to try and stop it, such as suspending the students or reporting their actions to law enforcement.Dec 31, 2020

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Suevon Lee covers education for Civil Beat. You can reach her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @suevlee .

Why is Hawaii not providing a safe environment for students?

The Hawaii Department of Education was hit with a lawsuit Thursday that alleges the department has failed to provide a safe environment to its students due to lackluster policies and procedures governing student-on-student bullying and harassment.

What is the DOE's resolution agreement?

The DOE last December entered into a resolution agreement with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights which capped a years-long compliance review of the state education system’s policies and processes in regards to student-on-student harassment based on race, sex and disability.

Why is the Kona School Principal being sued?

A Kona school principal, the state Department of Education and Board of Education are being sued for failing to protect a female student from repeated sex assault on a public school campus.

Who is Justin Mariano?

Though the male is not named in the lawsuit, the minor’s guardian confirmed to West Hawaii Today on Wednesday that he is in fact Justin Mariano, who has been indicted for sexual assault in three separate criminal cases, including one involving the victim in the civil suit.

Something to consider

At Civil Beat, we believe everyone deserves a trusted source of information that doesn’t hide behind a paywall.

About the Author

Suevon Lee covers education for Civil Beat. You can reach her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @suevlee .

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