ANTIOCH, Calif. -- The Antioch Unified School District and the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California have reached an out-of-court settlement agreement in response to allegations that the school district has been unfairly disciplining black and Latino students.

The ACLU has alleged that records obtained from the school district show that black students at Deer Valley High School were suspended four times more often than white students in the 2006-2007 school year. In the same year, Latino students were suspended twice as often as white students, according to the ACLU.

Suspension and expulsion statistics at Antioch High School showed similar disparities for black and Latino students, according to the ACLU.

The ACLU alleged that in many cases, students were suspended or expelled in violation of the California Education Code and other state and federal laws.

Statistics from a survey known as the Healthy Kids Survey allegedly found that in 2008, 27 percent of seventh-grade students in the district, 26 percent of ninth-grade students and 18 percent of 11th-grade students reported that they had been harassed at school by peers because of their race within the past year.

Parents and students allegedly said that some of the harassment had been overt and violent and that school staff in the district did not do enough to protect students from racial harassment.

The ACLU also reported being concerned that the school district often allegedly called the Antioch Police Department to respond to minor, non-criminal acts of student misconduct.

Acting Superintendent Ronald Gill said the school district recognized that there was "a huge disparity" in suspension and expulsion rates for black and Latino students and has already begun implementing programs to reduce that disparity.

They have also introduced new material into the curriculum to teach students tolerance of different races and cultures.

"Our ultimate goal is to have all kids in school as much as possible so they can learn and take advantage of the opportunities there while maintaining a standard discipline code," Gill said.

"We're looking forward to working with the ACLU over the next five years to address the problem," Gill said.

In the settlement agreement, which was approved by the school board Wednesday, the district agreed to modify its disciplinary procedures to ensure compliance with the education code, according to the ACLU.

The school district also agreed to provide training for staff on how to avoid discriminating against students based on their race and how to respond when they see students harassing other students.

The district will also further update its curriculum to include education on tolerance, diversity and culture and revise its contract with the Police Department to limit police involvement in student discipline, according to the ACLU.