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The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced Monday that Beecher Community Unit School District 200U failed to take reasonable steps to prevent a Black student from being harassed on the basis of race over the course of the 2021-2022 school year.
According to a resolution between the OCR and the district, D200U agreed to put a plan in place that ensures students at Beecher High School are not subjected to a hostile environment on the basis of race. The agreement confirms that the district is in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 moving forward, the OCR said.
In a news release Monday, the OCR said the harassment of the student included “gratuitous images of the Confederate flag that were included in repeated classroom PowerPoint presentations, a Snapchat message circulated during the school day that called a Black person the N-word.”
Among other allegations of ongoing harassment, a white student also identified himself as “nighas” during a classroom activity using the online platform Kahoot that went unaddressed by the teacher, the OCR said.
The OCR determined the district failed to take reasonable steps to prevent the harassment from recurring and it didn’t conduct adequate investigations of possible racially harassing conduct despite the Black student reporting the incidents to administrators.
The student reported further incidents during the 2022-2023 school year, including frequent use of the N-word, a classroom activity using an online platform where a white student identified himself as “Ni99er,” and white students shaking the school bus as Black students were exiting.
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Because of the harassment, the Black student began attending school remotely, the OCR said.
“The important steps Beecher Community Unit School District 200U has agreed to take to address and prevent racial harassment are designed to ensure that their full school community will learn in the nondiscriminatory environment federal law promises to them,” Catherine Lhamon, OCR’s assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement.
According to the terms of the resolution, District 200U administrators will take prompt and appropriate responsive action to investigate whether the student labeled Student A and other Black students were harassed on the basis of race during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years and consequently offer compensatory education, counseling and reimbursement for documented private educational expenses for Student A’s alternative education, counseling and psychological support.
All school administrators, faculty and staff will also go through annual training on the district’s policies and procedures that address racial discrimination and harassment, the resolution said.
In an email Tuesday morning, Beecher District 200U Superintendent Jack Gaham, said that although he cannot comment on individual students or the disciplinary action of students, “Our district takes allegations relating to student equity, inclusivity and well-being very seriously.”
“The Board of Education, administration and staff of the Beecher School District always strive to make our district a welcoming place for all students. The district entered into the resolution with the OCR because we believe it is a great opportunity to continue to grow and make our school even better for all students who attend,” Gaham said. “We look forward to providing our staff additional training and students additional input on making their learning environment the best we can make it.”
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