Red Wing School Board approves 'wangster day' resolution

The Red Wing School Board approved a recommendation to resolve a lawsuit against the district, but the details were not made public.

At a meeting July 11, the board voted 5-1 to approve the recommendation of their attorney on settling the case, in which former student Quera Pruitt alleges the district violated her rights.

The court now must rule on accepting the settlement.

While the vote was public, discussion took place in a closed session because it involved material covered by attorney-client privilege. No further comments or details are being released at this time, Supt. Karsten Anderson said.

Board member Steve Anderson voted against the resolution, and member Mike Christensen was absent.

In April, the district and Pruitt’s lawyers held a settlement conference, but they were unable to come to an agreement.

Pruitt, an African-American who attended Red Wing High School, filed a federal lawsuit against the district in July 2011. She alleged that a student-led “wangsta day” or “wigger day” during the school’s fall 2009 homecoming celebrations infringed on her rights and caused her emotional distress.

About 60 to 70 students dressed up in stereotypical black clothing for the non-school sanctioned day, according to the complaint. The student council had scheduled it as Tropical Day.

Pruitt alleges that students had done this in the past and district employees did not do enough to stop the actions in 2009.

The district has denied the claims that Pruitt’s rights were violated or that the event had taken place before. Its lawyers tried to have the case dismissed last year, and while a judge did throw out portions of the claim it was not dismissed altogether.

Anderson, who did not work for the school district in 2009, and John and Jane Does representing all school employees were removed as defendants in a January amended complaint.

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