(Radio Iowa) – The board of a northwest Iowa community college has accepted a settlement with international students who accused the school of human trafficking.
Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City will pay two-point-three million dollars to settle a lawsuit involving ten students from Brazil. College President Terry Murrell (murr-ELL) took full responsibility for the program’s problems. In April, the college’s board of directors approved paying three-million dollar to students from Chile who filed a lawsuit in 2020.
The students said they were promised a free, two-year program with internships but were instead forced into working manual labor jobs to pay off tuition. Murrell disputed that claim, saying the students were free to leave at any time and were paid for every hour they worked, plus free tuition and other amenities.
