FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The family of a student who claimed he was sexually assaulted by a Fairbanks public school tutor has settled a lawsuit against the school district for $920,000.
Attorneys for the two sides reached an agreement Monday after a nine-hour mediation session in Seattle, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. The Fairbanks North Star Borough School Board approved the settlement Tuesday night.
The lawsuit focused on behavior by Claude Fowlkes III, 35, a Hutchison High School tutor and correspondence teacher charged in March with multiple counts of sexual abuse of a minor. He is awaiting trial and remains jailed at Fairbanks Correctional Center. Fowlkes denied the allegations to Alaska State Troopers.
The family sued last spring, claiming the district ignored warning signs of inappropriate behavior by Fowlkes.
Michael Kramer represented the family is the civil lawsuit.
“While this financial settlement cannot undue the pain endured by this young man, it can provide them some small comfort and long-term security during their difficult recovery,” Kramer wrote in an email.
The settlement must be reviewed and approved by the judge presiding over the lawsuit. Borough insurance would cover $670,000 of the settlement, and the school district would pay the remaining $250,000.
Most of the money will go into a trust to help cover the cost of the victim’s future educational and counseling needs, Kramer said.
“This case highlighted some systemic problems within the district and provided the impetus for changes necessary to protect our children,” Kramer said. “All of us who currently have children in public schools can be comforted knowing the district has made significant institutional and personnel changes that will help ensure that those mistakes are not repeated.”
School board President Heidi Haas said the district will continue to improve how it investigates allegations against employees.
Before mediation, the school district rejected a $1.4 million settlement request. The family rejected a $270,000 settlement offer.
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