The Washoe County School District has agreed to pay $1.35 million to two families that accused a teacher of abuse at Marvin Picollo School, according to public documents filed in court Friday.

The suit, filed Nov. 18 in U.S. District Court, alleged that during the 2013-14 school year two 8-year-old girls were the victims of physical, verbal and emotional abuse by a teacher at the school in South Reno for children with severe disabilities. The suit was filed against the district, Picollo Principal Matt Burak and special education teacher Debra Stebbins.

A district insurance policy will pay the majority of the settlement that is being split between two families. The school district will directly pay for $300,000 of the settlement costs.

In a district release about the settlement, Chief General Counsel for the school district Neil Rombardo said, “This is part of our continuing commitment to ensuring that our school environments are safe and respectful at all times, for all students. We feel that this settlement will help support that commitment, while limiting District exposure.”

The district said Superintendent Traci Davis and School Board President Angela Taylor would not comment or answer questions about the settlement.

In the suit, Stebbins, who was hired by the school district in 1999, is accused of yelling and swearing at one of her students, who has cerebral palsy.

Stebbins has not responded to requests for comment. She no longer works for the school district.

On Friday, Reno attorney Robert Kilby and California attorneys Todd Boley and Peter Alfert, who represented both families, filed documents listing the full settlement agreement. The agreements have to be approved by a judge.

In the court filings, Stebbins is accused of picking up Autumn Battenfeld, then 32-pounds, and shoving her on top of a horse at the school’s equine therapy program. She is also accused of prying the girl’s legs apart and then pulling her off the horse and throwing her back in her wheelchair when she cried out in pain. The district has agreed to pay $800,000 to the family according to court documents.

The suit also accused Stebbins of abusing the daughter of Brenda Donahue. Alex, now 11, has a rare genetic disorder that affects her mental, motor and language development. Stebbins was accused of leaving Alex in pain on the ground after she “roughly grabbed” the little girl, who uses a walker, and pulled her off the bus. The district has agreed to pay $550,000 in this case.

In July, the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees authorized the district to pay a $300,000 deductible to move forward in settling a lawsuit.

During that meeting, none of the trustees asked legal counsel about the final payout amount or the case before voting unanimously to approve to pay the district’s deductible.

In 2014, Brenda Donahue spoke to the Reno Gazette-Journal about how her daughter was being abused at school. Her story is part of an investigation into Washoe County’s special education system.Liz Margerum/RGJ