San Francisco school district to pay $15 million over molestation case

A San Francisco Bay Area school district agreed on Monday to pay $15 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the families of four students who were sexually molested by their second-grade teacher, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

The Evergreen School District in San Jose agreed to settle the case, which said officials failed to respond properly to O.B. Whaley School teacher Craig Chandler’s years of sexual abuse, the newspaper said.

A statement on the school district’s website confirmed that a settlement had been reached but did not provide details about the agreement.

“We believe the settlement will allow the young women impacted by this man’s actions to move forward and heal,” the statement said.

The mother of one of the students, none of whom were identified in court records, told the newspaper after the settlement: “I am glad this legal matter is over … For my little girl, it will never be over.”

Chandler was convicted in 2013 of molesting five students and was sentenced to 75 years to life in prison, the newspaper said.

It reported that a settlement had been reached earlier between the district and the fifth student.

The district admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement agreement on Monday, the Mercury News reported.