WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP — The Washington Township School Board approved a financial settlement during Wednesday's meeting following the filing of a federal lawsuit in 2022.
Four former North Central High School students filed a federal lawsuit in May 2022 alleging the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township ignored a pattern of complaints about former drama teacher and theater director Nathan Shewell.
In a settlement Wednesday, the district agreed to pay a total of $245,000 to the four plaintiffs. The amount to be given to each was not said.
In exchange, the plaintiffs will drop all claims.
Shewell worked at North Central High School from 2013 until he was fired in 2020, but the lawsuit alleges the school district was aware of Shewell’s behavior as far back as 2014.
Many of the allegations in the federal lawsuit were brought to light in a February 2021 WRTV Investigation which outlined allegations of verbal, physical and sexual abuse of students by Shewell.
