The details
In summarizing the action district trustees took by unanimously approving the contract for legal services during a special meeting March 10, Superintendent Brad Schnautz said the lawsuit represents more than 2 million students across the state.
“The focus is protecting our students against the adverse effects of these social media giants and how our students are targeted and the adverse effects it brings into our schools,” Schnautz said.
He added that these challenges include adverse effects on both students and staff in terms of time and financial resources.
"A lot of these distractions pull us away from our core work in teaching and learning,” Schnautz said.
The backstory
According to previous Community Impact reporting, the other DFW school districts that have already joined the lawsuit include Richardson ISD, Dallas ISD and Frisco ISD. Richardson ISD council Laticia McGowen said the lawsuit argues that social media executives knew social media platforms were harming children but did not address it.
According to GCISD documents, the district will be represented by Thompson & Horton, LLP; Eiland & Bonnin, PC; and O’Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo, PC on a contingency basis. The district will not incur any legal fees for being a part of the lawsuit “unless or until [the law firms] recover monies.”
District documents state Thompson & Horton, LLP is a full-service school law firm that services public and private schools, institutions of higher education, local governments and private individuals and companies.
Eiland & Bonnin, PC has worked in high-profile litigations such as the Grand Las Vegas mass shooting and the BP Texas City refinery explosion.
O’Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo, PC has litigated statewide education cases such as the No Pass No Play law. Kevin O’Hanlon founded the firm in 1992 after serving as general counsel for the Texas Education Agency.
