D.C. has settled its lawsuit against Washington Hebrew Congregation.
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine on Wednesday announced the $950,000 settlement of the suit, which he brought in 2020, claiming the WHC鈥檚 preschool violated child care regulations and consumer protection laws.
鈥淚nstead of protecting children in their care, Washington Hebrew put them at risk and ignored the law 鈥� every parent鈥檚 nightmare,鈥� Racine said on Twitter.
According to the settlement, WHC is to pay a total of $950,000, comprising $300,000 payments to certain consumers, $100,000 to a mutually acceptable District charity, $400,000 to the District in civil penalties, and $150,000 in costs and expenses.
The consumer costs include restitution on a pro rata basis to families who paid tuition for Camp Keetov for the summers of 2016, 2017 and 2018, according to the settlement.
WHC denies the District鈥檚 allegations and claims, according to the settlement.
鈥淚t is important to note that, occurring nearly four and a half years ago, the violations were administrative in nature. Not one was related to the supervision or alleged abuse of children,鈥� the WHC said in a statement to 草莓传媒. 鈥淚n an earlier ruling on the OAG鈥檚 claims, the Court specifically found that WHC had already remedied the alleged administrative violations.鈥�
The settlement says in relation to the administration claims that the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) issued a license in May 2019 for WHC to operate a year-round facility, OSSE inspection reports in 2020 and 2021 indicate that WHC has complied with OSSE regulations.
鈥淲e are pleased that Washington Hebrew Congregation and the D.C. Attorney General have reached an agreement and that a significant portion of the settlement funds will go to a D.C. charity and families whose children attended Camp Keetov in 2016, 2017, and 2018,鈥� WHC President Lewis Wiener said in the statement. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud of our Edlavitch-Tyser Early Childhood Center and its educators, who provide a warm, engaging environment where children can feel safe as they discover the world around them.鈥�
A group of parents brought a separate lawsuit in 2019, claiming WHC鈥檚 Edlavitch-Tyser Early Childhood Center didn鈥檛 properly report that a teacher had sexually abused toddlers. , 14 children were allegedly abused.
