Buffalo Public Schools announced it has settled a nearly five-year legal case with the former principal of McKinley High School.
Crystal Boling-Barton was placed on paid administrative leave in May 2017 after a group of LGBTQ+ students accused her of ignoring their requests over several years to form a Gay-Straight Alliance club at McKinley. Their case was taken up by the New York Civil Liberties Union.
During later court proceedings, the district announced it was also investigating "discrepancies" in Barton's use of $22,000 in student activity funds.
But in a statement emailed to WBFO Tuesday, the district said the case has been "amicably resolved."
"As part of the settlement, Mrs. Barton, who is one of the longest tenured and highly regarded principals in the District, is eligible to immediately return to service at McKinley High School." The district also said it's "appreciative and thankful to Barton for all of her years of service.”
No word on whether Barton will return, however. The Buffalo News reported she has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation during the effort to have her fired.
WBFO's Eileen Buckley and Mike Desmond contributed to this story.
