A judge has approved a $4.5 million settlement between an upstate New York school district and five Jewish students who say they endured years of abuse by classmates who made Holocaust jokes and drew swastikas in hallways and lockers.
The five current and former students said at a hearing to approve the settlement Thursday that they "lost part of their childhood" due to the abuse.
The suit accused Pine Bush Central School District officials of failing to take action to protect the students from anti-Semitic bullying.
The students will receive two-thirds of the payout. The rest will go to lawyers. The district about 90 minutes north of New York City must also implement curriculum and training reforms as part of the settlement.
The district plans to sue its insurer, which denied coverage for the case.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press
