Two Black middle school students were racially harassed by their white peers with insults like “n*gger,” “monkey,” and “ape” and told to “go pick some cotton,” but when their parents complained to school administrators, they were told there was no policy in place forbidding racial harassment.
Now, the parents have filed a lawsuit against the Portage Public School District in Michigan, which lists four defendants, including a school bus driver accused of racially harassing one of the Black students by calling him “Donkey Kong” while chasing him on foot.
The lawsuit filed last week by Adam Baylis III and his wife, Nakia S. Baylis, states the parents have since removed their children from Portage West Middle School, who are identified only as “A.B.” and “G.B.” in the lawsuit.
But the racial harassment continues against other Black students within the Portage Public School District, the claim states.
“The issue of racial harassment appears embedded in the culture of the Portage Public School District. Since the removal of A.B. and G.B., the Baylis family has continued to receive calls from other Black parents in the district, seeking guidance on how to address the racism their children are also experiencing. These parents share the growing concern that the administration’s failure to confront racial harassment leaves their children exposed to ongoing harm.”