Teacher’s Suit Over Rubber Stamp Settled

A Ventura High School English teacher’s lawsuit against two former students who had stolen and duplicated a rubber stamp she used to validate homework assignments has been settled.

Sue McEwen’s suit attracted support from educators throughout the country, and a fund set up to pay for her legal expenses received more than $1,500 in donations.

“She is satisfied with the settlement,” said Lawrence Trygstad, a Los Angeles attorney who represented McEwen. Trygstad said the terms of the settlement, reached Wednesday, were confidential.

McEwen had sought a minimum of $750 in damages and payment of her legal fees.

The two students were caught and punished before they were able to use the rubber stamp. But when the parents of one of the students hired an attorney to protest the punishment, McEwen sued.

“Sue [McEwen] took a position, and a lot of teachers respect her for it,” said John Weiss, president of the Ventura Unified Education Assn. who set up McEwen’s legal defense fund.

“We always look at education as a partnership between the school and the family,” he said. “But if the family does not support the teachers, the partnership breaks down.”

Weiss said it was important for students to understand that there are consequences of their actions. “So often kids don’t look upon cheating as anything big,” he said.

“If there is anything good that comes out of this, it is that both high schools are putting in place an honesty policy,” Weiss said.

The district is indeed revising its honesty policy, but Assistant Supt. Jerry Dannenberg said the policy revision had nothing to do with the lawsuit.

“We revise all our policies periodically,” Dannenberg said, adding that the current policy contained some vague language and needed revision.