BROOKLINE, Mass. — A Massachusetts middle school has been accused of failing to protect a Black student from racial bullying, including the use of racial epithets and physical assault, a recently filed federal complaint showed.
Lawyers for Civil Rights filed the complaint last week on behalf of 14-year-old M.C. Henry, a Black eighth-grader who was subjected to racial bullying at Amos A. Lawrence School in Brookline, where it’s alleged that educators “have allowed a racially hostile educational environment to flourish unchecked.”
The complaint states that M.C. experienced multiple incidents of “egregious racial harassment and physical violence” by other students between December 2023 and April 2024.
LCR highlighted incidents when the victim was called racially derogatory slurs, such as “cotton picker.”
“In or about December 2023 during their health class, a male student sitting next to M.C. accidentally dropped his dry cereal. When M.C. tried to help him pick it up, the other student abruptly said: ‘I don’t want your help, you cotton picker,’” the complaint stated.
Additionally, a white student allegedly placed his knee on M.C.’s neck while he was on the ground, and yelled, “George Floyd! George Floyd!” Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in May 2020 sparked a nationwide outcry for racial justice.
“On or about April 11, 2024, while attending their music conservatory class, M.C. tripped over a piece of equipment. While M.C. was still on the floor, a white student knelt down, placing his knee directly on M.C’.s neck, and exclaimed, ‘George Floyd! George Floyd!,’ grotesquely mimicking the horrific murder of George Floyd, who suffocated as a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck,” the complaint stated. “The student continued to press his knee forcefully into MC’s neck until MC’s friend intervened.”
MC Henry Complaint by Boston 25 Desk on Scribd
LCR said the re-enactment of Floyd’s murder was “hurtful, humiliating, and traumatizing” for the victim.
Despite repeated reports of racial bullying incidents to Brookline school officials, the perpetrators were never disciplined, according to the complaint.
“Instead of adequately addressing the harassment, respondents attempted to sweep it under the rug, diminishing the severity and harm of these traumatic incidents,” the complaint states. “These types of incidents are devastating to students, as race-based bullying and harassment can have significant long-term social, emotional, and physical impacts on adolescents, including lower grades, low engagement, and greater risk for depression, suicide ideation, and substance abuse.”
LCR is calling for a federal investigation of the schools’ violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and demands remedial and corrective action to ensure that students are not subjected to a racially hostile educational environment in the future.
M.C.’s father, Ricardo Henry, is also demanding justice for his son.
“I want justice - not just for my child, but for every other student. I want everyone to collectively do better,” Ricardo Henry said in a statement. “Brookline schools have a culture of subjecting Black students to an unsafe learning environment. School administrators need to be held accountable.”
Mirian Albert, Senior Attorney at LCR, added, “Racial bullying in our schools is unacceptable. Every child is entitled to a safe, inclusive environment free from discrimination. We must hold our educational institutions accountable and take immediate action to ensure justice and equity in education. Our children’s futures depend on our unwavering commitment to these principles.”
In a statement, a Brookline Public Schools spokesperson condemned the allegations and said officials were reviewing everything outlined in the complaint.
“We have received and are currently reviewing the complaint filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights on behalf of a Public Schools of Brookline family. The Public Schools of Brookline condemns hatred and racism in all of its forms. Racism and discrimination run contrary to the values of our school district,” the statement read. “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.”
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