Providence Settles Lawsuit With Father Of Expelled Student

NEW LENOX, IL — Providence Catholic High School has settled with the father of a student who was expelled earlier this year over an alleged incident involving racist behavior at the school. Terms of the agreement between the two parties are confidential but both sides are happy with the outcome, according to a report from the Chicago Tribune.

The Rev. Richard McGrath, president of Providence, said the school is “happy to be free of the lawsuit and the harm it has caused to our brand and reputation.”

The plaintiff in the case told the Tribune he is “very happy” with the outcome as well and indicated his son has moved on to another school where he will participate as a student-athlete.

RELATED: Providence Sued Over Expulsion, 'False' Racial Claims

The father of a white freshman student sued Providence in April, alleging a breach of contract among other offenses for expelling his son over an incident where an alleged racist song was played in the company of a black student.

According to the Tribune, the song played was “White is Right” by Pink Guy and contained a racial slur directed toward African-Americans.

The father said that the song is actually a parody that mocks the behavior of racist white people. He said it was in response to a video chat app that pairs random users around the world for video conversations. One of the random connections allegedly told the black student at Providence, “I don’t dig on black people.” The song was then played in response to that and was meant to criticize racist behavior, the father said.

"He played him this song because it's humorous and they all got a laugh out of it because it makes fun of rednecks, racism and the stupidity involved with having those types of feelings," said the father, who was referred to as “John Doe” in the lawsuit.

More via the Chicago Tribune