West Virginia Pays $75K to Settle Single-Sex Classroom Complaint

The West Virginia Board of Risk and Insurance Management paid $75,000 to resolve a lawsuit that challenged single-sex classrooms in Wood County.

Board executive director Chuck Jones revealed the amount in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the Parkersburg News and Sentinel.

U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin had sealed the settlement amount, except for $65,000 in attorneys’ fees, when he approved it in July.

The American Civil Liberties Union sued the school system in 2012 on behalf of the mother of three female students at Van Devender Middle School. The lawsuit alleged that the school’s single-sex classes violated the U.S. Constitution and federal gender equality laws.

The school board agreed to not implement single-sex classes in the county’s schools until after the 2014-2015 school year.