Settled sexual abuse cases tied to past misconduct are straining budgets at California school districts and public agencies.
Photographer: Karla Gachet/Bloomberg
Decades-Old Abuse Payouts Squeeze California School and City Budgets
The removal of a statute of limitations on sexual abuse lawsuits has unleashed a flood of cases against public agencies in the most-populous US state.
At James Monroe Middle School, located in a remote part of California’s High Desert, posters commemorating teacher appreciation week were hung beside porta-potties. They were the only toilets left for faculty members after the campus’s sewage system collapsed last year.
Sierra Sands Unified School District's inability to afford to repair the sewage system — and the subsequent decision to close the school — are the result of crimes committed decades ago, forcing officials to make a host of cuts. Its superintendent is worried about the growing risk of insolvency.