LAMB Sued for $20M by 2 families of sexual abuse victims

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

[parent of a victim here....]

YES. REALLY! There are an array of feelings among parents - i don't think you can categorize them into 3 groups though. There are parents who empathize with the victims and parents who think he's still innocent (small group I think but they exist.) Parents who want to know everything that has gone on and others who want to know nothing (those that don't know much are usually the ones who question his guilt and criticize any lawsuits.). Some who think the victims are totally justified in suing, others who question their reasoning. It's a rich tapestry of opinion. Just like in every other aspect of life.

Personally, I don't give a rat's ass what anyone thinks. I believe my child and I know Diane and Cristina made horrendous mistakes and I'm glad they are gone. I support the lawsuits and I will still fight tooth and nail for the school to continue. The school is so much more than Diane and Cristina.

SPEAK TRUTH! This school is way more than this horrendous situation. The teachers have shown incredible grace and strength through all of this and are also supporting and educating the children of families who are struggling with homelessness or the real threat of deportation. Also, our child continues to love to learn academically, strengthen her friendships and learns how to live with an open mind and heart with other people in a world that is culturally, linguistically and economically complex. These are reasons that we and so many LAMB families have stayed and are so passionate about being part of the process to craft strong measures and school governance to prevent a horrific situation like this again AND also want to see the school grow and thrive.


(LAMB parent of child in one of Fernandez’s classes)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is it decided if posts are deleted?

Woah, posts on DCUM can be deleted??! I had no idea since most of it is such a shitshow. Crazy. I thought there was literally no moderation at all. This thread is only one case in point.

Scroll to the top of the page and you'll see "about dcum" if you want to learn about the site. If you want to request thread or posting deletion hit the "report" button that exists for every single post. There is also a "website feedback" forum.

Oh good so maybe the posts (elsewhere) where I was called a swear word can be deleted

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lamb parent here, for the most part parents are divided in two groups, one that only cares about the school moving on and surviving and the other group who are victims or know the victims, had kids in Manolo's class or has compassion for the victims and their families. The two do not seem to agree on a solution and now that I write this, I would say that there is a third small group made up by parents who are friends of Manolo and his wife (his kids still go to LAMB and his wife is at the school every day) and those parents still believe that it is all a misunderstanding and that Diane and Cristina should not have been fired.

really???

Not really. I think this is just some trolling. If they exist they are few and silent.

[parent of a victim here....]

YES. REALLY! There are an array of feelings among parents - i don't think you can categorize them into 3 groups though. There are parents who empathize with the victims and parents who think he's still innocent (small group I think but they exist.) Parents who want to know everything that has gone on and others who want to know nothing (those that don't know much are usually the ones who question his guilt and criticize any lawsuits.). Some who think the victims are totally justified in suing, others who question their reasoning. It's a rich tapestry of opinion. Just like in every other aspect of life.

Personally, I don't give a rat's ass what anyone thinks. I believe my child and I know Diane and Cristina made horrendous mistakes and I'm glad they are gone. I support the lawsuits and I will still fight tooth and nail for the school to continue. The school is so much more than Diane and Cristina.

Thank you for this. Somehow nuance is the main thing that seems lost on here. It's all about is LAMB bad, or good, or are the parents horrendous, or not. As if they were all one entity, which is nothing like those non-lamb parents posting (when actually, one year ago I was you. Just another parent playing the lottery). I also am very sorry this happened to your family.

[Anonymous]

Thank you to the LAMB parent who acknowledged that there are various groups of people with different opinions on this situation. Funny to see that they were quickly labeled a troll until the parent of a victim validated the facts

[Anonymous]

Can couple posters who claim to have personal insight into the situation talk about how the Board has been working with the insurer in anticipation of a lawsuit. Perhaps the letter from the Board said that? What does that mean? The insurer is not your friend and does not want to pay out millions if it can determine a way to prove gross negligence or something else that would allow the claim to be determined to fall outside the realm of the policy. And if the insurer will pay out thus settling the case, how difficult will it be for Lamb to maintain coverage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can couple posters who claim to have personal insight into the situation talk about how the Board has been working with the insurer in anticipation of a lawsuit. Perhaps the letter from the Board said that? What does that mean? The insurer is not your friend and does not want to pay out millions if it can determine a way to prove gross negligence or something else that would allow the claim to be determined to fall outside the realm of the policy. And if the insurer will pay out thus settling the case, how difficult will it be for Lamb to maintain coverage?

Why should this information about a lawsuit be shared on a public forum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can couple posters who claim to have personal insight into the situation talk about how the Board has been working with the insurer in anticipation of a lawsuit. Perhaps the letter from the Board said that? What does that mean? The insurer is not your friend and does not want to pay out millions if it can determine a way to prove gross negligence or something else that would allow the claim to be determined to fall outside the realm of the policy. And if the insurer will pay out thus settling the case, how difficult will it be for Lamb to maintain coverage?

Why should this information about a lawsuit be shared on a public forum?

Because LAMB is a PUBLIC school that depends on our tax dollars to keep its doors open.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can couple posters who claim to have personal insight into the situation talk about how the Board has been working with the insurer in anticipation of a lawsuit. Perhaps the letter from the Board said that? What does that mean? The insurer is not your friend and does not want to pay out millions if it can determine a way to prove gross negligence or something else that would allow the claim to be determined to fall outside the realm of the policy. And if the insurer will pay out thus settling the case, how difficult will it be for Lamb to maintain coverage?

Why should this information about a lawsuit be shared on a public forum?

Because LAMB is a PUBLIC school that depends on our tax dollars to keep its doors open.

LAMB has a board with fiduciary responsibility. It makes no sense for them to negotiate in public. The city doesn’t negotiate in public either when DCPS is sued every. single. day.

[Anonymous]

The letter to the LAMB community said:

"Dear LAMB Community,

As many of you are aware, a lawsuit has been filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia against Manuel Fernandez, LAMB, Diane Cottman, and Cristina Encinas. The matter has been turned over to our insurance company.

The Board has been contemplating the possibility of a lawsuit and has been working closely with our insurance company over the last several months. We hope to work toward a just resolution of all claims.

The Board understands the concerns of the community and is working diligently, in consultation with legal advisors and Charter Board Partners, to address Board and school matters as effectively and efficiently as possible. You will receive a more detailed communication in the coming days regarding these efforts, but we wanted to reach out to let you know that we hear you and we are proceeding with the guidance of experts. We know that the community is eager to assist in the efforts to stabilize and strengthen LAMB, and will be announcing soon measures that are underway to increase community involvement.

- Barrie Lynn Tapia, Board Chair"

I'm just curious what it means, in this case, to work closely with the insurance company.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The letter to the LAMB community said:

"Dear LAMB Community,

As many of you are aware, a lawsuit has been filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia against Manuel Fernandez, LAMB, Diane Cottman, and Cristina Encinas. The matter has been turned over to our insurance company.

The Board has been contemplating the possibility of a lawsuit and has been working closely with our insurance company over the last several months. We hope to work toward a just resolution of all claims.

The Board understands the concerns of the community and is working diligently, in consultation with legal advisors and Charter Board Partners, to address Board and school matters as effectively and efficiently as possible. You will receive a more detailed communication in the coming days regarding these efforts, but we wanted to reach out to let you know that we hear you and we are proceeding with the guidance of experts. We know that the community is eager to assist in the efforts to stabilize and strengthen LAMB, and will be announcing soon measures that are underway to increase community involvement.

- Barrie Lynn Tapia, Board Chair"

I'm just curious what it means, in this case, to work closely with the insurance company.

I’m sure it means that they alerted the insurance company to a possible litigation when they became aware of the possibility. And nothing more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm just curious what it means, in this case, to work closely with the insurance company.

I’m sure it means that they alerted the insurance company to a possible litigation when they became aware of the possibility. And nothing more.

Typically as part of a school's liability insurance, the insurance company pays for the defense when the school is sued. The insurance company hires the lawyer and pays the legal fees/expenses. If there is a settlement or the lawsuit is lost, the insurance company then pays the claim (assuming that the claim is covered by the insurance). There is a lot of coordination with the insurance company to determine if they are obligated to provide a defense and to have the attorney assigned.

[Anonymous]

Does the insurance company also pay for lawyers for Cristina and Diane?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does the insurance company also pay for lawyers for Cristina and Diane?

Probably.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does the insurance company also pay for lawyers for Cristina and Diane?

Probably.

If they're officers or directors of the board, absolutely. If not, would depend on insurance details.

Amateurs should not be involving themselves in education in this way (i.e. starting a charter).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does the insurance company also pay for lawyers for Cristina and Diane?

Probably.

If they're officers or directors of the board, absolutely. If not, would depend on insurance details.

Amateurs should not be involving themselves in education in this way (i.e. starting a charter).

Who are the amateurs? Diane and Christina? The board? Or do you generally mean charter people as most of the charters in DC were started by people as their first charter venture.