The parents of two Black children have filed a lawsuit against their elementary school for ignoring claims of bullying and abuse, according to NBC News. The suit cites both verbal and physical abuse, as well as bullying from teachers. School officials say there’s no evidence to prove these horrific allegations.
According to the suit, the officials at North Pointe Elementary School in Houston, Tx. failed to handle incidents pertaining to racial discrimination, creating a “hostile environment” for the two children. Parents Chanda Jackson and Tatiawana Jackson detailed the brutal treatment of both their kids.
Read more on the suit from NBC News:
Filed in U.S. District Court in Galveston, the lawsuit alleges that on separate occasions in 2019, one of the victims, identified as “John Doe,” was attacked by other students, including being choked, punched in the eye and tripped. It also says John Doe was “punished” by an unnamed teacher who refused to let him use the restroom, causing the student to “wet his pants” on multiple occasions. The lawsuit alleges that white students were not given the same treatment.
The suit alleges that the other victim, identified as “Jane Doe,” was bullied and physically abused by students, including being slapped by a student, causing hearing loss, and bit on the hand by another student that led to her needing stitches.
The lawsuit also says one of Jane Doe’s teachers once removed Jane from her lunch table away from her friends and made her eat alone. Neither the student nor her parents were ever given an explanation for the isolation, according to the suit.
Leila Sarmecanic, general counsel for Clear Creek Independent School District told NBC News she was surprised by the allegations. She also said there were no formal complaints made to the school or school district about race discrimination.
“We were really blindsided by the allegations because they’re not substantiated by any evidence we have. We don’t discriminate against students on the basis of their race.”
Parents send their children to school trusting they’ll come home safe. These allegations are a nightmare. These two children have suffered physical and emotional trauma no adult would even want to bear.
“Schools have a DUTY to protect all children, yet a Texas elementary school failed to care for its only 2 Black students — who were slapped, punched, & even choked by other students! This school’s INACTION in the presence of mistreatment can’t go unpunished!” tweeted civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump.