A San Francisco Bay Area school district has agreed to an $8 million settlement with the families of eight special education students in an alleged teacher abuse case.
Prosecutors say school workers saw former Mno Grant Elementary School special education teacher Theresa Allen-Caulboy knee a child in the chest, pinch a child's nipples, pin a child to the ground and force students to "eat boogers.'' Allen-Caulboy has pleaded not guilty to charges she abused six young boys and girls, some of whom were nonverbal autistic students.
MORE: Parents Allege Abuse by Antioch Teacher
The Contra Costa Times reports that the Antioch school board announced the settlement on Wednesday night. The money will come from the district's insurance.
Parents alleged in a lawsuit that the district failed to report earlier allegations of abuse against Allen-Caulboy.
Peter Alfert, the plaintiffs' attorney, said the money would allow the victims to seek psychiatric care to deal with the ongoing effects of the abuse.
"Although the settlement brings an end to the legal process, the Antioch Unified School District is in no way finished with this difficult chapter in our history," a statement from the district read. "We must continue to learn from this case and work to ensure that every child entrusted to our schools is educated in a safe environment."
The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.
