Allegan Area Educational Service Agency Teachers Win Settlement

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Two Allegan Area Educational Service Agency teachers are in line to share $450,000 from the AAESA to settle their federal lawsuit over being sexually harassed and physically assaulted on the job by former Hillside Learning and Behavior Center principal Jonathan Garcia. He was sentenced to at least four years in prison in 2016, and the teachers filed a complaint last year against the district in federal court in Grand Rapids. The settlement still needs to be approved by the U.S. District Court and was announced Wednesday by U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge. In a statement, he said the resolution shows that sexual harassment won’t be tolerated in the Western District of Michgian and employers “must make serious and meaningful efforts to prevent and address it.