Community College Ordered to Pay Damages in Student Suit

Article, Chronicle for Higher Education, December 17th

The Bishop State Community College was recently ordered to pay $285,000 to a former student after being found guilty of mishandling her sexual harassment complaints.

Kimberley Howard was the plaintiff in the case, and not only sued the school, but also accused her past professor, Herman Packer, of assault and battery. She claimed that he had touched and kissed her inappropriately. Packer was cleared of any wrongdoing by the federal jury, but the school was not so lucky.

According the Howard's lawyer, after hearing her complaints, the school advised Howard to avoid taking classes with Packer and to rearrange her schedule instead of investigating the allegations. Howard dropped out of the program after feeling like the school "deliberately turned their back on those allegations." Howard will be awarded $250,000 in punitive damages, and $35,000 in compensatory damages.

The school did not comment on the case, citing that they planned to appeal the decision. They did, however, begin a mandatory sexual harassment workshop for all members of its faculty, which still includes Packer.