Delray sues drugmakers over opioid epidemic

It’s the first Florida city to take such action; law firm is paying the bill.

DELRAY BEACH — The opioid epidemic has caused financial and emotional strain on the people of Delray Beach, and its leaders want accountability and restitution.

That’s why the Delray Beach City Commission Tuesday decided to sue drugmakers for the part they played in the heroin crisis. It is the first city in Florida to take such action.

“With virtually no help from our federal government and little from our state ... cities like ours are now frantically searching for answers for our own population,” Mayor Cary Glickstein said. “We’re right for turning our eyes to those who are known conspirators in this ongoing atrocity.”

he was concerned about stu- ring between the student dents receiving D’s and F’s. and the school,” investiga

In other cases, he wontors found. dered why students with Investigators said they in a very positive way.” straight A’s were earning were unable to confirm the

Lockhart, 52, a veteran just a B in a particular teachassistant principal’s charge administrator who had led er’s class. that Lockhart often gave vioLake Worth High since 2011, “He handed me, along lent or misbehaving students declined to comment. with other teachers pres- off-the-books suspensions to

His attorney called Avosent in his office, particukeep the school’s official dissa’s handling of the case lar students’ grades and ciplinary numbers down. “very fair” and said Lock- requested grade changes,” But investigators did find hart’s missteps happened science teacher Gary Habib four cases in which students “w i thout any improper told investigators. discipline records were inacintent.” Frederick Harl owe, a curate, including two cases

The investigation, which social studies teacher, said of “significantly inaccurate” The Palm Be a ch Post he was told that a B he had records. obtained through a pub- given a student was the only In one case, a student’s lic-records request, brought one on an all-A report card. file at the school showed an end to a probe that began “I was told to go into the he had received 11 referin December after an assisprincipal’s office, where rals for misbehavior, but tant principal, upset over the report card was on the the school logged only one how Lockhart disciplined table,” he told investiga- of them into the district’s a student who got into a tors. “I changed the grade official records. physical altercation with to an A.” In another case, a student him, raised concerns about Scott Anosier, a math was suspended, but the susa wide range of practices on teacher, said Lockhart ques- pension was never recorded. campus. tioned him about a handful he investiga t ion d id

Lockhart and the assisof students who had B’s in not appear to delve into tant principal, Terence Hart, his class. the incident that triggered were both removed from “I recalled that I changed the meltdown: Hart’s comcampus in December, and two out of four or five plaint that the school misthe school remained in tur- because the B’s were in handled a physical altercamoil for months afterward the upper 88 percentiles,” tion between him and a stuas investigators sorted out he said. dent in November. the allegations. Lockhart’s Social studies teacher Hart and his wife, who attorney, Fred Schwartz, told Brian Crouch said he had wrote an email about the investigators that the school been summoned to Lock- case to the School Board, suffered from a deep “divihart’s office twice regarding argued that the physical sion” between staffers loyal grades and once received an altercation should have to Lockhart and those loyal email from him about a stu- prompted the student to to Hart, a rift that played out dent’s grades. be considered for a transin the investigation. “He stated that the stufer to another school under

dents had A’s in all their the school district’s student Teachers asked to do other classes and I should code of conduct. son’s assignments take some steps to assist the In December, both Lock

The probe revealed that student in achieving all A’s,” hart and Hart were removed Lockhart had asked three he told investigators. “He from campus. Hart was reasteachers at his school to comalso attached a grade-edit signed to a position at Turnplete math assignments for sheet to the email.” ing Points Academy, an alterhis son during the 2014-15 “While this email was native school for at-risk stuschool year. not a direct threat or push dents.

His son, a middle school to change the grade,” he Lockhart, who earned student at the time, was taksaid, “I did feel this email $96,000 in 2016, was ing an online algebra course. was passively aggressively assigned temporarily to

Lockhart initially denied pressuring me to change the school district’s chargiving the teachers his son’s the grades.” ter school office. He has since online user name and passLockhart said that it was been made a manager in word, but the teachers part of his job as principal that department. admitted receiving login to make sure teachers were information from him to grading fairly and giving stuaccess his son’s assigned dents opportunities to sucwork and complete it them- ceed. selves. “This principal does not

In at least one case, a change grades or encourage teacher completed a quiz the practice,” he told investifor Lockhart’s son, investigators. “Rather, offer guidegative records show. lines for overall grades.”

Lockhart insisted that he Avossa called Lockhart’s asked his teachers to do the actions troubling. assignments so he would “The principal has a right have a better idea of how to ask what’s going on,” to tutor his son at home. he said. “Are you provid

But the investigation ing remediation? Have you showed that in some cases called the parent?” the completed assignments But, he added, “telling were su b mitted online teachers that they have an within minutes of the teach- opportunity to change a ers emailing them to Lock- grade, and any appearance hart. of pressure, is just not right.”

“When I completed the Investigators also discovassignment I would email ered that in fall 2016, Lockthem to Dr. Lockhart via dishart approved four schooltrict email,” math teacher day events that students Richard Gomersall told invescould leave class to attend tigators. “I have known Dr. — but only if they forked over Lockhart for a very long time a dollar each. The events so, out of respect, I didn’t included two pep rallies, a want to tell him no. I wish fashion show and a wresI was never put into this sit- tling match. uation.” School district rules pro

Investigators also con- hibit schools for charging cluded that Lockhart creadmission to events taking ated “an intimidating enviplace during school hours. ronment” at the school, one But in reporting the fundin which teachers “experiraising events to the school enced consistent pressure district, the school mischarregarding their grading prac- acterized the events in ways tices.” that made it appear that stu

Several teach e rs told dents were selling things investigators that Lockhart rather than being required had summoned them into to buy them to attend. his office at various points In this way, the school’s to ask why certain students reports “appeared to conhad received low grades. ceal the actual reason for the

In some cases, they said, financial transaction occur-

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