NY court OKs $1M school racial harassment award

An appeals court says a Dutchess County school district must pay $1 million to a man who was racially harassed for 3½ years in high school. WAMC’s Dave Lucas has more…The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld the award for Anthony Zeno. He faced repeated harassment in the Pine Plains Central School District from 2005 to 2008.  The 2nd Circuit said he faced racist, demeaning, threatening and violent conduct. It happened in the presence of friends, classmates and teachers at Stissing Mountain High School.The court said a jury could find that the harassment would have a profound and long-term impact on Zeno's life. A school district lawyer did not immediately respond to a message for comment. A lawyer for Zeno praised the ruling.Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.