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PVPUSD reports settlement in OCR complaint, pledges student and staff training on harassment
Summary
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified board reported it approved a settlement resolving an OCR complaint tied to a yearbook incident and agreed to districtwide education for students and staff about harassment, including examples based on Jewish ancestry; the agreement says it is not an admission of wrongdoing.
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District board reported it approved a settlement agreement in closed session to resolve a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR case number 09-24-1664).
At the start of the open session, the chair announced, “The board approved the settlement agreement for student number 20240801 in a roll call vote,” and read the vote. The chair said the agreement explicitly states it is not an admission of wrongdoing by any party.
Under the terms announced, the district will provide student‑related services and the student waived all claims against the district. The district also agreed to educate middle and high school students about policies and procedures prohibiting harassment, “including examples of harassment based on Jewish ancestry and ethnic characteristics,” and to continue informing employees about those policies and procedures.
Superintendent Dr. Serrano told the board that staff had continued to investigate the matter over the summer, noted the constraints of the summer calendar, and described a series of professional‑learning sessions for administrators and teachers on bias and inclusion. She said, “On August 8, all site and district administrators attended a full day professional learning at the Museum of Tolerance,” and later cited additional training offered by the Holocaust Museum and the Los Angeles County Office of Education.
Public commenters urged transparency and open discussion. Jeremy Vanderhall said the yearbook’s antisemitic article was released on May 27 and criticized the district’s public communications since then: “Three months with no announcements from the board… Three months with no public meetings to address this, including tonight,” he said. Jeff Gold similarly asked the board to agendize the yearbook matter for an open forum so the community can see clear and consistent communications.
Board members and staff emphasized legal and privacy limits on what can be shared. The chair and superintendent referenced FERPA and relevant government‑code provisions restricting discussion of certain student matters in open session.
What happens next: the board reported the settlement publicly during open session and said staff will share more information and action steps with the community “as we’re able to do so,” while maintaining any privacy protections required by law.
