After writing $17.5 million in checks to four former students who had accused their prep tennis coach of sexual abuse, leaders of the Tamalpais Union High School District have proved that there are lessons to be learned, even beyond a classroom.

The district’s checks resolve the cases brought against the district, holding it accountable for the actions of a former Tamalpais High School tennis coach Normandie Burgos, who is now serving a life sentence in state prison after his 2019 conviction on 60 counts of molesting players in a tennis program he started in Richmond. His appeal is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Over the years — almost 20 years — district officials have been tight-lipped regarding their handling of complaints about Burgos. Little has been said publicly outside of a courtroom.

$17.5 million, however, says a lot. It says a lot about accountability; that school officials at the time failed to protect the students from Burgos, issuing only warnings until his arrest in 2006. He was then placed on leave and ultimately fired in 2008.

That case ended in a mistrial.

Burgos went on to start a tennis program in Richmond, where his predatory actions continued and led to his arrest and 2019 conviction.

The Tam cases date back to sexual abuse that occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They have been the subject of prolonged — and costly — legal fights over the level of the district’s responsibility.

There have been many changes in the district’s coaching ranks and leadership since those incidents took place.

In one case, a school official witnessed Burgos touching a student’s genitals and “laughed off the situation,” according to court papers quoted in a New York Times story about the settlement.

Another student said he was assaulted by Burgos at least twice in the school’s locker room, according to court papers,

One student, now 41, says the incident has caused emotional struggles, including contemplating self-harm, the New York Times reported.

Students who had the courage to complain said they found themselves blackballed in local tennis circles, doubted and targets of ridicule from players and parents who long supported Burgos’ claim of innocence.

Maybe, just maybe, today those complaints are taken more seriously and acted upon, rather than being laughed off or addressed with administrative warnings.

Certainly, school guidelines and state laws are much stricter than they were in the late 1990s.

Training for teachers and coaches regarding their responsibility to report actions and complaints is more rigorous and clearly defined.

It’s clear that $17.5 million paid out to four former students is a shocking example of the abject district’s failure to protect those youths with prompt and effective action.

These were teenagers who trusted their coach and their school. Sweeping complaints under the rug or allowing a systematic response that fed youngsters’ fear and reluctance to report abuse represent a grave disservice to those students and those who might find themselves victims of the abuser.

The $17.5 million is not the final financial sum as a fifth case is scheduled for trial in February.

The payout of dollars likely is not going to salve the trauma and deep emotional scars of the victim.

But the lofty sum sends a stunning message, a lesson and a warning that districts are being held accountable; that there is an important expectation that school officials and policies are in place and followed to protect youths from abuse.