Salem-Keizer School District settles lawsuit over classroom injuries for $170k
The Salem-Keizer School District will pay $170,000 to settle a lawsuit with a former special education classroom assistant who claimed she was seriously injured by students multiple times on the job as higher-ups at West Salem High School failed to protect her.
Lauren Eriksen alleged in the lawsuit that she was the target of “multiple violent assaults” while working in the classroom during the 2023-24 school year. One student bit her hard enough to cause ongoing nerve damage, she said.
She also claimed school administrators refused to call 911 after she radioed for help while trapped in a classroom with a violent student.
Eriksen sued the school district in September in Marion County Circuit Court, as well as West Salem Principal Carlos Ruiz and Assistant Principals Wendy Stradley and Josh Thorp. She sought an unspecified amount in damages and an order forcing the school district to comply with Oregon Occupational Safety and House Administration recommendations to create and maintain a safe working environment for staff and students.
The school district will pay Eriksen $10,000 in lost wages, $99,906 to cover non-economic damages and $60,094 in attorney fees, according to a copy of the settlement agreement provided by the district which Eriksen signed on May 30.
The settlement was first reported by the Statesman Journal.
The school district denied the claims Eriksen made in the lawsuit and agreed to settle “at the advice of their attorney and insurance carrier to avoid the delay and expense of further litigation,” the agreement said.
“Ms. Eriksen’s lawsuit was filed to hold the district accountable for failing to address serious safety concerns and to advocate for safer conditions for staff and students,” her attorney Maria Witt said in a statement. “Ms. Eriksen hopes the outcome of this case will prompt meaningful change within the district to better protect both staff and students, and to provide a better learning environment for all.”
District officials also agreed to have a representative meet with Eriksen to discuss steps they’re taking to keep school employees safe.
“We are always concerned about the safety of our students and our staff. We want the best for our students and the adults who serve them and that is why we are constantly evolving our safety systems and training programs for staff,” said district spokesman Aaron Harada in an email.
The settlement comes as the school district has been under increasing pressure in recent years to better address violent behavior from students and do more to protect employees from assaults. Classroom safety was a major point of contention in contract negotiations with the district’s employee unions last year.
In 2023, Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration evaluated the district and found local schools reported a much higher rate of employee injury than schools statewide or nationally.
The district has since added additional training for employees working in special programs on de-escalation and using personal protective equipment. It has also created a team to consult with schools when students are repeatedly struggling with behavior.
Adding employees to address student behavior and staff special education programs was a focus of Superintendent Andrea Castañeda’s budget for the upcoming school year. The school board approved that budget earlier this month.
Previous coverage:
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE.
Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers education, economic development and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for over a decade and is a past president of Oregon's Society of Professional Journalists chapter. Outside of work, you can often find her gardening or with her nose buried in a book.
