Smithtown school district reaches settlement in bullying lawsuit from family of ex-student Michael Coppola
Court records show Diane Coppola, the mother of a former Smithtown school district student, recently reached a lawsuit settlement with the district. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
The Smithtown school district has reached an undisclosed financial settlement with the mother of a former student who argued in a federal lawsuit her son endured years of relentless bullying because of his sexuality and gender identity.
Diane Coppola, the mother of Michael Coppola, now 17, said in the January 2024 lawsuit her son faced death threats and repeated homophobic taunts while attending Smithtown public schools from fourth through ninth grades and district teachers and administrators did little to curb the abuse.
The bullying left Michael — who previously told Newsday he prefers "he" and "him" pronouns and identifies as male — suffering from depression, anxiety, worsening grades and an eating disorder, the lawsuit stated.
The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Central Islip, sought unspecified damages, citing allegations of unlawful discrimination, negligence and violations of the state's human rights and civil rights laws.
Court records show Diane Coppola reached a confidential financial settlement in February with the district and U.S. Magistrate Judge Lee G. Dunst signed off on the agreement on March 12. The settlement is under seal and the terms of the agreement weren't publicly disclosed.
"The settlement is fair and adequate," wrote David Lebowitz, the Coppolas' Manhattan-based attorney, in a Feb. 18 court filing. "The settlement is substantial and avoids litigation and the risk of a less favorable judgment at trial or reduction of the award on appeal."
The settlement money will go toward attorney fees and to fund a trust for Michael that will be used for his education and mental health treatments, Diane Coppola said in a Feb. 13 court affidavit. Michael now attends an unidentified private school, with the family paying the tuition, she wrote in the affidavit.
Lebowitz on Tuesday declined to comment on the settlement, citing the confidentiality agreement.
Smithtown Schools Superintendent Mark Secaur said in a statement Tuesday the district doesn't comment on legal matters. Carle Place-based attorney Annemarie Jones, who represented the school district in the lawsuit, declined to comment Wednesday.
The lawsuit contended the abuse began when Michael started fourth grade at Mt. Pleasant Elementary School. It said Coppola's parents met with school administrators asking that no "boy/girl" lines be used to differentiate students so he wouldn't have to endure the embarrassment of publicly identifying with a gender that other students could perceive as not conforming with his appearance, the lawsuit said.
But on his first day, Michael's teacher separated the class into separate lines for "boys" and "girls," sparking students to laugh at him when he joined the girls’ line, the lawsuit said.
It also alleged the bullying continued through Michael's adolescence, with students pushing and shoving him, threatening him, tampering with his food, directing homophobic profanities at him and starting an "I hate Michael" club.
The litigation said the parents filed eight complaints under the state’s Dignity for All Students Act, which is designed to protect students from harassment, bullying or discrimination.
But because the district took few steps to ensure Michael's safety and well-being, according to the lawsuit, he was forced to isolate, change classes and schools and eventually transfer out of the district in 2023.
"Emotionally, it's destroyed my family," Diane Coppola told Newsday last year. "We've spent six years fighting the district; asking for help. When Michael comes home, we're left with picking up the pieces to put him back together; to find something that makes him happy."
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
