BROOKLINE, MASS. (WHDH) - A civil rights complaint claims a 14-year-old Black student was racially bullied in a Brookline school.
The eighth-grade student’s family claimed another student at the Amos A. Lawrence School used racially-targeted language directed at their child in class.
Lawyers for Civil Rights is representing the child and their family.
“It was something that made them feel embarrassed and a lot of difficult emotions to process,” said Mirian Albert, an attorney with Lawyers for Civil Rights.
In a separate incident, the law firm said its client tripped and fell to the ground in April, accusing a student of kneeling on their neck and yelling, “George Floyd.”
“They were one of a few Black students in the school, so again, this makes the incident even more isolating and more traumatic,” Albert said.
In the 15-page complaint, the law firm said its client felt “…deeply humiliated by this incident, leading to severe anxiety that manifested physically through crying and body shakes.”
According to the court documents, the student’s family reached out to the school about the allegations, but they feel the school failed to address their concerns.
“The family was very upset and has been very upset,” Albert said.
In a statement to 7News, Superintendent Linus Guillory Jr. said, “The Public Schools of Brookline condemns hatred and racism in all of its forms.”
“We are currently working with counsel to review the complaint, and we will put forward an appropriate response within the timeframe allowed by the legal process,” Guillory continued.
The family and their attorneys are calling on the Office for Civil Rights to investigate. They say they also want to open dialogue with the school district on how it can effectively take action.
“Schools should be able to identify what racial bullying and identity-based bullying looks like,” Albert said.
The law firm said the Office for Civil Rights could take weeks to months to pick up a case like this.
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