Doe v. Oyster River Cooperative School District

ORDER

DEVINE, Senior District Judge.

This civil rights action raises the question of the nature of the liability of a public school district under federal law when one of its students sexually harasses other students. The question is interesting not only for its relative novelty (most circuit courts, including the First Circuit, have not directly addressed the issue), but also because it tests the doctrine of institutional liability under the Civil Rights Acts, a subject which has recently captured much attention.

The plaintiffs include two former students of the Oyster River Middle School, Jane…