Minneapolis district settles school brawl claim

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Minneapolis school district has settled a complaint over a high school cafeteria brawl last year.

After a fight between African-American and Somali-American students erupted at South High School, the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a complaint on behalf of both groups. It alleged the district failed to stop racial harassment.

CAIR-Minnesota asked the U.S. Department of Education to investigate. In a Sept. 30 settlement, district officials pledged to review and revise bullying policies and provide training to students and staff. They also agreed to document by June 30 the steps the district has taken.

CAIR-Minnesota’s civil rights attorney, Ellen Longfellow, tells Minnesota Public Radio News (https://bit.ly/1ngnNKF ) she hopes the settlement will help students speak up about harassment.

The Department of Education plans to monitor the school district.

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Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News, https://www.mprnews.org