The Brentwood Union School District has been served with a new lawsuit alleging physical and emotional abuse by former special education teacher Dina Holder. This lawsuit has been forwarded to a joint powers authority and a private insurance company that provide liability coverage to the district.
Dina Holder
These entities will evaluate the complaint and have a primary role in determining the legal response to it.
The latest legal filing is the fourth to allege abuse by Holder, whose teaching credential was revoked in 2013 following a no-contest plea to child abuse for kicking a student in 2010. The complaint alleges Holder abused two former students, now adults, in the 1998-1999 and 2001-2002 school years. The District cannot comment publicly on this or any matter of pending litigation.
A 2012 lawsuit alleging abuse by Holder settled for $950,000. In January 2014, the District’s JPA settled a lawsuit filed on behalf of 8 students and 11 parents for $8 million in compensation and legal fees.
Another lawsuit, filed in 2014 on behalf of six students and nine parents, is pending in U.S. Federal Court.
In the time since these cases were filed, the District has made extensive enhancements to its training for
employees, and district training now exceeds state requirements.
According to Superintendent Dana Eaton, “Through a partnership with the Child Abuse Prevention Council, more than 800 employees and substitutes have received additional, in-person training on the responsibilities of being a mandated reporter. We are committed to maintaining a culture in which every adult in our district understands the responsibilities we share to keep our children safe.”
Eaton further highlighted the are committed to training and provide a safe environment for learning where its not just teachers taking training courses, but substitutes, coaches and anyone in contact with students take the program. Every two years, the District now has an outside group come in and provide in-person trainings.
“Our current staff continues to work tremendously hard to meet the needs of all of our current students. While it is important that we carefully review and defend any cases brought against the district, our primary focus remains on the over 8,700 students that deserve our absolute best,” said Eaton.
