$1M payout suggested in Ithaca racial dispute

ITHACA - A judge is recommending that Ithaca's school district pay $1 million in damages to the family of a black student who said she was subjected to racial threats and slurs on the school bus.

Officials say the district was faulted for ignoring and then resisting complaints by Amanda Kearney as she sought to protect her then-12-year-old daughter from racial harassment by a group of white boys starting in fall 2005.

Administrative Law Judge Christine Kellett's recommendation is subject to approval by the state Division of Human Rights.