Black students were called the n-word, told to say “you’re my slave” by other students, and told they had dirty skin or “looked like a slob”. Meanwhile, Asian-American students were insulted and told to “go back to China,” the report said.
According to the Justice Department, the school district was aware of the hostile environment and the documents show a record of at least 212 incidents between 2015 and 2020 in which black students were called na 27 schools.
But district officials often ignored complaints, dismissed them, and sometimes “told black and Asian-American students not to be so sensitive or explained that they were harassing students.” Apologize that they’re not trying to be “racist.” ” declares the report.
“We have a lot of work to do. We’re not happy with what we read. We’d like to think it’s not us, it’s us. We have to work really hard,” Williams told KSTU.
As a result of the investigation, the Davis School District signed an agreement with the Department of Justice. The district has adopted a number of changes, including the creation of more staff training to investigate and respond to racial harassment, the creation of a new department of equal opportunity, and the ability to receive and address allegations of racial harassment and discrimination. including the development of electronic systems to deal with
“Pervasive racial harassment and other forms of racial discrimination in public schools violate the Constitution’s most fundamental promise of equal protection,” said Kristin Clark, deputy attorney general of the agency’s civil rights division. “This agreement will help advance the institutional change needed to keep Black and Asian American students safe. We hope Davis will demonstrate to its students and school community that it is committed to racial equality in its schools.” Discrimination will no longer be tolerated.
Teachers and staff chose not to intervene.
According to the DOJ, students told investigators that staff members ridiculed students in front of their peers, retaliated against those who reported harassment, and endorsed stereotypes.
A complaint reviewed by the DOJ shows that a teacher singled out a Latino student and made fun of him for working at a taco truck, even when the student was not working there.
The findings indicated that several professors admitted to the researchers that they heard students using racial slurs, but did not report it to administrators.
The district has an enrollment of about 73,000 students.