December 21st 2024.
Two Black middle school students in Portage, Michigan have been subjected to racial harassment by their peers and a school bus driver. Despite repeated attempts to address the issue, the school district and administration of Portage West Middle School failed to take appropriate action, prompting the students' parents to file a federal lawsuit last week.
The Baylis family believe that the lack of intervention from the Portage Public School District has created an environment where racial harassment is allowed and even encouraged by staff members. The severity of the bullying was such that the children's parents, Adam and Nakia Baylis, had no choice but to remove them from their school for their own well-being.
The lawsuit names several defendants, including West Middle School Principal Jason Messenger, Assistant Principal Sidney Bailey, school counselor Becky Moon, and school bus driver Bob Hayworth. The Baylis family claims that they provided evidence of the harassment to the school administration, but their concerns were consistently disregarded.
According to the lawsuit, the Baylis family had multiple meetings with school administrators between September and November 2023, but each time their requests for action were ignored. They were told that the district did not have any specific policies in place to address racial harassment, despite the fact that Portage has a 5% Black population. The lawsuit states, "The administration admitted during the meeting that there were no specific policies in place to address racial harassment. This left both students and other students of color vulnerable to ongoing harassment without adequate protection or clear processes for addressing such behavior."
The lawsuit also describes some of the disturbing incidents that the Baylis family endured at Portage West Middle School. These included being called racial slurs and being told to "go pick cotton" by other students. The harassment also extended to social media, where the students received derogatory messages.
One particularly alarming incident occurred on Halloween, when a school bus driver reportedly chased the Baylis children through their neighborhood while shouting racial slurs at them. The lawsuit includes a photo of a white student in blackface with the caption, "I made myself into a n***er," as well as other evidence of racist messages and images, including those depicting Ku Klux Klan members.
The Baylis parents are deeply troubled by the traumatic impact that the racial harassment has had on their children. Nakia, who is also a social justice advocate, believes that taking legal action is an important step in ensuring that Black children in Portage are protected in the future. She stated, "Our goal in pursuing this case is not to shame others, but to use our privilege to fight for justice – not just for our family, but for all families who may not have the same resources and have faced similar challenges within the district."
She added, "It's unfortunate that ensuring a safe and fair learning environment for every student, regardless of race or ethnicity, requires such drastic measures. But we are determined to see this through for the sake of our children and others who have been affected by racial harassment in our school district."
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
