W.Va. High Court to Hear Case of Illiterate High School Graduate
The state Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of a functionally illiterate high-school graduate who says the Kanawha County school system failed him.
Thomas P. Sturm, 21, graduated from Sissonville High School in 2004, but can read only on a third-grade level, said his attorney, Mike Clifford.
Clifford said the school board failed to abide by state and federal laws meant to monitor and protect the rights of students with disabilities. Sturm suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
“The quickest way to get him out of the system was to give him a diploma even though he hadn’t earned it,” Clifford said.
Kanawha County Judge Tod Kaufman dismissed the 2006 lawsuit last year, saying Sturm didn’t exhaust other remedies available to him.
School board general counsel Jim Withrow says Sturm could have complained about his lack of education and requested a hearing with education officials.
Clifford expects the high court to take up the case this summer.
The original lawsuit sought damages for injuries and loss of future earnings, as well as $1 million in punitive damages.
Source: The Charleston Gazette,www.wvgazette.com.
- 2024 Wildfire Forecast Calls for ‘Below Average’ Season
- Insurers Get Green Light to Pay Less Than Billed Charges in Florida PIP Cases
- Work Safety Group Releases List of ‘Dirty Dozen’ Employers
- Apollo Accused in Lawsuit of Illegal Human Life Wagering Scheme
- Poll: Consumers OK with AI in P/C Insurance, but Not So Much for Claims and Underwriting
- CoreLogic Report Probes Evolving Severe Convective Storm Risk Landscape
- Millions of Recalled Hyundai and Kia Vehicles, With Dangerous Defect, Remain on Road
- EVs Head for Junkyard as Mechanic Shortage Inflates Repair Costs