Jan 8, 2025 Story by: Editor
The Justice Department today revealed a settlement agreement with the Elmore-Morristown Unified Union School District (EMUU) in Vermont to resolve its investigation into claims that the district failed to adequately address student-on-student racial harassment.
The joint investigation by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont found that the district did not effectively respond to persistent harassment of Black and biracial students, primarily at Peoples Academy Middle Level. These students faced frequent racial slurs and offensive imagery, along with a hostile environment marked by the use of the N-word and the display of Confederate flags, Nazi symbols, and Nazi salutes.
“Racial harassment makes students feel unsafe, deprives them of a supportive educational environment and violates the Constitution’s most basic promise of equal protection,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “In the 21st century, no student should be subjected to racial slurs, Nazi salutes or other racially-charged hostilities. This agreement provides sound strategies for preventing and addressing racial harassment. We look forward to the district demonstrating to its students that racial bullying and harassment have no place in its schools.”
“This settlement represents an important step towards ensuring that students of the Elmore-Morristown Unified Union School District are able to attend school without the fear of racial harassment,” said U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest for the District of Vermont. “The measures set forth in the settlement will help guide the school district towards swift and appropriate responses should any instances of racial bullying or harassment occur. In addition, all Vermont school administrators must take note. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring that our schools are free from racial harassment and will take action if school districts are not addressing this destructive behavior.”
The investigation, initiated in December 2023 under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, reviewed records and complaints from three school years, starting with the 2021-22 school year. Interviews were conducted with administrators, teachers, and parents.
The district fully cooperated with the investigation and has already made some improvements, such as implementing a central reporting system designed to track harassment incidents and ensure that victims of recurring harassment are not ignored.
As part of the settlement, EMUU will:
- Revise its anti-harassment policies and procedures to clarify that they address conduct that contributes to a hostile environment, even if it is not directly aimed at a specific student;
- Conduct annual, multifaceted campus climate assessments, including listening sessions with student groups, and take corrective action based on the findings;
- Provide education and training to students and staff on the district’s policies and procedures for handling race-based harassment. Source: DOJ
