Kings Park school settles student suit

A settlement in the lawsuit of a Kings Park High School senior expelled from extracurricular activities after she admitted passing a container of alcohol at a school event does not allow her to be reinstated in all her clubs and sports.

But the Jan. 13 settlement does allow Nina Ottaviano to return as a member of the district's Students Against Destructive Decisions and be published in the school newspaper. She cannot hold office, including her old position as editor of the paper and is still barred from participating in school extracurricular sports.

In a news release, the district said it was "pleased" the suit had been resolved. "Under the settlement agreement, the district will not be obligated to pay any money" and reiterated its policy that a student caught with alcohol or drugs would be suspended from school extracurricular activities for one year, the district said.

John Ottaviano, the student's father, said he was unhappy with the settlement. "I have lost faith in the district," he said.

Ottaviano had filed a federal lawsuit on Oct. 28, 2010, claiming the punishment had "destroyed her prospects of being accepted to colleges on an athletic scholarship or recruited by various top colleges to play sports in college."

At a senior class banquet on Sept. 6, Nina Ottaviano said she confessed to an administrator that she had passed a bottle filled with alcohol from one friend to another. As a result, she was taken off all extracurricular activities, including the soccer and basketball teams that she hoped could aid her in getting into better schools.

Nina Ottaviano also belonged to the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and Peer Support program.