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Black Student Sold at Mock “Slave Auction” Files Federal Discrimination Complaint
Black Student Sold at Mock “Slave Auction” Files Federal Discrimination Complaint Against Southwick-Tolland Granville School District
Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) filed a federal civil rights complaint against the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District and the Southwick Regional School for their failure to prevent a racially hostile school environment, which led to white students conducting a mock “slave auction” and “bidding” on the sale of Black students. The complaint was filed on behalf of Skyla, a Black 8th grade student who was “bid” on during the online slave auction. The complaint also details an alarming, months-long campaign of racist bullying and harassment targeting the Black student, including repeated use of the “N-word,” which the school district failed to meaningfully address.
The Black student endured this harrowing experience at the Southwick Regional School, a school within the Southwick-Tolland–Granville School District serving grades 7 through 12. The student population at Southwick Regional School is predominantly white, with 88.9% of students identifying as white and only 1.3% of students identifying as Black.
The egregious incidents are outlined in the complaint, including:
- In November 2023, while at recess, a white student used the N-word in referencing Skyla;
- In December 2023, in band class, when Skyla entered the room, a white male student said: “Hello, N***er”.
- In January 2024, a white student shouted the N-word in front of a group, while Skyla was the only Black student working in the group.
- In January 2024, a white student told Skyla that her hair “looks better than normal” when she changed from braided to straightened hairstyles. The racist comment rejected and disparaged her former braids – a hairstyle and cultural expression for many Black people.
The complaint alleges violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and requests that the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) immediately investigate the District to implement remedial and corrective action to address the widespread culture of racial bullying throughout the district.
“The Springfield Branch of the NAACP is highly concerned about the spike in racist school incidents. This is manifested through bullying and harassment in local schools. All children deserve to be respected and safe, and we are working to support Skyla,” said Bishop Talbert W. Swan, II of the Springfield Branch of the NAACP.
“I am deeply saddened and hurt by what my daughter has experienced at Southwick Regional School. The district has a responsibility to care for the social and emotional well-being of all students. This challenging experience in middle school is happening at a particularly vulnerable age and stage. We’re living through trauma and stigmatization,” said Allyson Lopez, the mother of Skyla.
“What Skyla had to endure for months at Southwick Regional School is abhorrent,” said Tasheena Davis, Litigation Fellow at Lawyers for Civil Rights. “Southwick administrators have completely failed in their duty to ensure a safe learning environment for Skyla and other students of color. We are asking federal authorities to step in and ensure the district and the school take racial bullying and the protection of these students seriously.”
The complaint is available here.