MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – The ACLU of Vermont says they have settled a complaint against the Twin Valley School District in a case involving a Black student who faced bullying and harassment.
The complaint filed with the state Human Rights Commission three years ago alleged that a 10th-grade student at Twin Valley Middle High School in Whitingham endured racially motivated bullying by classmates during the 2020-2021 school year, ultimately transferring schools with just two weeks left in the school year.
The abuse began shortly after the student began classes, according to the complaint. In December 2020, some students directed a racially disparaging term at her in class. She and the teacher reported this to the principal, which was when the first investigation was initiated. In February, male students directed a Nazi salute toward her while repeating the same disparaging term.
In the settlement announced on Tuesday, the ACLU says the district acknowledged and redressed the harms the student suffered while she was enrolled. They also issued a public statement expressing regret and the administration’s insufficient responses. Twin Valley also paid an undisclosed amount of money in damages and attorney fees.
The ACLU says the settlement comes on the heels of a separate investigation last year by the U.S. Department of Justice that concluded the district “knew of, and did not respond sufficiently to, individualized harassment and a broader hostile educational environment” at the school.
“The reality is that identity-based bullying and harassment continues to affect students across this state every day, and state leaders and institutions have not responded adequately or appropriately. School administrators have a responsibility to protect students’ rights to an education free of discrimination, and we hope this case reminds schools of that responsibility,” ACLU of Vermont Legal Director Lia Ernst said in a statement.
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