George Floyd’s Murder Re-Enactment

Brookline Public Schools Fail To Protect Black Student From Racial Bullying

Classmates Call Black Eighth-Grader a “Cotton Picker” And Re-Enact George Floyd’s Murder

Lawyers for Civil Rights (“LCR”) filed a federal civil rights complaint on behalf of a Black eighth-grader who was subjected to racial bullying at Amos A. Lawrence School in Brookline, Massachusetts, where school officials have allowed a racially hostile educational environment to flourish unchecked.  The complaint, filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”), details escalating incidents of racial bullying, including the use of racial epithets and physical assault. The complaint was filed on behalf of M.C., an eighth-grade student at AALS, and M.C.’s parents. 

M.C. was one of a handful of Black students in the entire eighth grade, often leading to racial tensions. This harassment ranged from being called racially derogatory slurs, such as “cotton picker,”to the most recent incident, where a white student placed his knee on MC’s neck while MC was on the ground, and yelled, “George Floyd! George Floyd!” –– a painful reference to the Black man whose murder at the hands of Minneapolis police officers sparked a nationwide outcry for racial justice.

The egregious re-enactment of George Floyd’s murder––both a physical assault and an attack on M.C.’s racial identity—was hurtful, humiliating, and traumatizing for M.C. 

Despite repeated reports of these racial bullying incidents to Brookline school officials, the perpetrators were never disciplined. School officials failed to meaningfully take action to address the racial attacks or prevent further identity-based incidents. As a result, M.C. faced trauma and stigmatization. 

LCR’s complaint requests 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.  

“I want justice—not just for my child, but for every other student. I want everyone to collectively do better,” said M.C.’s father, Ricardo Henry. “Brookline schools have a culture of subjecting Black students to an unsafe learning environment. School administrators need to be held accountable,” he 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,” said Mirian Albert, Senior Attorney at LCR.

This marks the fourth civil rights complaint LCR has filed in the last two months to address racial bullying across the Commonwealth. LCR represents a Southwick student who was “bid” on during an online slave auction, and two Melrose students––a twelve-year old Black boy who was repeatedly called the N-word, and most recently, a eleven-year old Black girl whose escalating racial bullying culminated in a white student cutting off her hair braids. The prevalence of this type of racial harassment underscores the pressing need for comprehensive federal intervention.

The civil rights complaint against Brookline is available here. 

The civil rights complaints against Melrose are available here and here. 

The civil rights complaint against Southwick is available here.

The letter confirming the federal civil rights probe against Brookline is available here.