Two families are suing Waxahachie ISD for alleged discrimination, accusing the district of punishing students of color far more harshly than their white counterparts.
The lawsuit filed earlier this month in federal court outlines incidents of bullying that the students' parents say led to their children being disciplined, although they were the victims.
In one alleged discriminatory incident, parent Leslie Jefferson said her African American daughter, identified as C.J., was bullied in the school cafeteria by a white student who insisted C.J. move to another table. A few days later, the same student threw water on C.J. when she didn’t comply with the demands.
In another incident, Andrew White said his Latina daughter, identified as S.W., was repeatedly bullied by a white student, leading to a physical altercation during gym class. White says his daughter was sent to alternative school for a month while no punishment was given the other student.
White said this was unfair because his daughter’s phone video proved the other girl was the instigator who violated school rules. He also said school officials ignored his daughter’s cell phone evidence.
The parents' attorney, Mike Laux, said the kids are being treated differently because of their race.
"The victim is being treated as though he or she is a fighting combatant and not a victim who's in need of protection,” he said.
Laux said it's a proven pattern at Waxahachie ISD that students of color are disproportionately punished for alleged school violations compared to white students.
“What you see here, as outlined in our complaint is that, percentages for African-Americans and Latinos, it increases as you go through the disciplinary process," he said, "and the percentage for white kids who are disciplined goes down.”
The lawsuit names members of the district's board of trustees, as well as two vice principals and a school principal as defendants.
Waxahachie ISD said it couldn't directly address the matter because of student privacy, but rejected any blame and denied all charges of discrimination. In a statement, the district said it "adheres faithfully" to board policies prohibiting discrimination, bullying and harassment.
"WISD strives to be a place where every student has choices, opportunities to belong, and staff members who care deeply about their growth and success," the statement said. "We do not tolerate violence between students, bullying, or any other behavior that makes our campuses unsafe."
Laux is seeking money for his clients and changes to district policy what will ensure disciplinary justice for all students, he said.
He told KERA the judge has given the district until mid-September to respond.
Bill Zeeble is KERA’s education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X @bzeeble.
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