CINCINNATI — Three teenagers who called a teacher a pedophile on a Facebook page reached a settlement in their federal lawsuit against the school district that suspended them, attorneys in the case said Thursday.

The entry on the social networking Web site included the face and last name of the teacher and referred to him as a member of the North American Man/Boy Love Association, which supports sex between men and boys.

Terms of the settlement between the teenagers and the Three Rivers School District near Cincinnati weren't immediately released by attorneys.

School board member David Shuey said the settlement would allow the boys to avoid expulsion. The teens also would do community service, he said.

The boys, who argued that the Facebook entry should be considered protected speech because it was a parody, were suspended from Taylor High School for the maximum 90 days for creating the entry in November.

They served 10 days of the suspension in December before U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott ordered school officials to let them return pending a court hearing.

"Everybody could agree that this was hurtful speech," said Ralph Gary Winters, an attorney representing the district. "The question was, whether the state has the power to control it."

Ohio law gives school boards the right to discipline students for out-of-school conduct that is harmful and is directed at school employees, he said.

Marc Mezibov, an attorney representing the students, said he believes the deal will allow the boys to get the credit for their school work, including make-up work.

He said the teens are satisfied with the proposed settlement.

The students have already written a letter of apology to the teacher, he said.