Cape schools settles suit over student suspension

The Cape Girardeau School District has settled out of court a case involving a suspended senior fighting to be reinstated.

Ryan Driskell, 18, was suspended for the remainder of the school year after police said they found marijuana remnants in his car on Jan. 11. No criminal charges were filed. His mother, Jennifer Eudy, sued the district to get her son back in school, saying proper procedure was not followed during an appeal hearing.

A judge ordered on March 19 that Driskell, who had been attending the Alternative Education Center, be allowed back to Central High School until the trial. A trial was scheduled for April 8 but was canceled. A case review was scheduled for May 5.

Diane Howard, the district's attorney, said "the matter has been resolved."

Eudy said her son was allowed to attend prom and will be graduating this month. The district paid her attorneys fees, she said. "They had never intended to take it to court. They knew they had screwed up," she said.