BENNINGTON – A lawsuit filed by a former teacher at Molly Stark Elementary School alleges she was discriminated against and her contract was not renewed because of her race, and
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BENNINGTON â The Bennington town offices on South Street will reopen to the public June 1 after a months-long shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the reopening plan posted on the town website, accesses to the town clerk, planning department and other offices will be open next month but with new COVID-related guidelines for both staff and members of the public.
According to a media release, the front entrance will be the only access for the public, with signage posted to direct people to the front doors.
Side doors will remain locked, but the visitors will be able to exit through a side door at a hallway leading to and from the reception area.
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BENNINGTON â The Select Board has unanimously approved a settlement agreement concerning a complaint to the Human Rights Commission from former state Rep. Kiah Morris, her husband, James Lawton, and their son.
The settlement, which requires the town to pay the family $137,000 and issue a public apology, was in relation to Morrisâ complaints that Bennington Police did not adequately investigate online and other racially motivated harassment prior to her decision to leave the Legislature amid a campaign for re-election in 2018.
The family has since sold their home on Morgan Street and moved to the Burlington area.
Bennington agrees to pay $137,000 to Kiah Morris, family reformer.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from reformer.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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BENNINGTON â Two former town residents filed a complaint Wednesday with the Vermont Human Rights Commission against the Bennington Select Board, saying town officials publicized private information about them in retaliation for their filing complaints of racially-motivated policing against the Bennington Police Department.
The boardâs action was âillegalâ and reflected systemic racial discrimination in Bennington, said Jay Diaz, senior staff attorney at American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont. The organization is representing complainants Joel Fowler, who is Black, and his girlfriend, Cassandra Keating.
âThis case is not a one-off,â Diaz said during a virtual press briefing on Wednesday morning. âIt is representative of what happens in Bennington â the systemic nature of discrimination in Bennington and also the systemic nature of discrimination throughout Vermont.â