Comments about ‘Canyons settles case of racial threats, abuse against former Alta High student’

"Highest priority?" It appears that among some students, parents and faculty non-discrimination is not the highest priority.

"Forget the past... Suck it up... Be a man..." This football coach sounds exactly like my football coaches here in SLC... but that was 1968. As a teacher myself, daily involved with students, I intervene immediately at ANY kind of bullying in my school. But I condemn the acts of the perpetrators, not the victims.

If there is a "gang" problem, then fix it and hold the members responsible for their actions.

This $100K of tax dollars is a textbook example of a "weak" administration taking the easy way out and settling for big bucks instead of going to court and fighting the zealots of the misnamed "Southern Poverty Law Center" who undoubtedly will be paid big bucks as part of the settlement, and for "facilitating the training".

Racism in any form is intolerable ind inexcusable. So is milking the taxpayers with frivolous litigation.

The "victim" truly was a victim and should not be punished, and should be praised for his abilities and accomplishments, as Dr. King would have wanted, not used as a prop by a bunch of zealots. He, and his family deserve support and apologies from those who harassed or threatened him, not the taxpayers with deeper pockets.

The entire Canyons leadership needs to be replaced, en mass, at once.

A small step for civil rights, but an important one. I remember this story well. Many on these threads and that of the other major Utah news source counted this as trivial and overreaction. Yet time has passed, those who allowed this to happen have been chastened and dismissed, Alta High School has had an indelible mark of intolerance attached to it's legacy and the mindless and bigoted of Alta attempt to hide their shame with false bravado, or re-writing the truth. Meanwhile those at Alta who fought against this idiocy (good teachers, students and administrators who helped keep this story alive) have been scarred by association, but strengthened in their resolve to be better than a large portion of their peers. Thank you to the Des News and SL Tribune for their courage in covering this sad chapter in the life of Alta High School.

Utah...

we need to do better.

@dn subscriber 2
I notice you throw the term zealot around a lot when it comes the issue of race relations. I am curious what exactly you think makes one a zealot?

%DN Subscriber 2
SLC, UT

"This $100K of tax dollars is a textbook example of a "weak" administration taking the easy way out and settling for big bucks instead of going to court and fighting the zealots of the misnamed "Southern Poverty Law Center" who undoubtedly will be paid big bucks as part of the settlement..."

No, it's an example of the administration cutting their losses rather than going to court on a case they'd be certain to lose and where a verdict would be much, much higher, not to mention the bad PR they'd be getting out of it. Trying to defend an indefensible case in court would have cost them considerably more in legal costs alone and could have easily resulted in a seven-figure verdict for the plaintiff. It's easy to poo-poo the effects of institutionalized racism on a person when you've never been the subject of it. Oh, the SPLC, by the way, is non-profit and won't be raking in the big bucks from this case or any other.