On Wednesday, a middle school student and her father filed a discrimination lawsuit against Columbia Public Schools.
On Wednesday, a summons was issued for defendants including CPS, Oakland Middle School, its principal Jeff Mielke, teacher Vanessa Hickem, and Superintendent Brian Yearwood. The lawsuit has been filed seeking damages and accuses CPS of racial discrimination and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
On December 20, 2021, the girl and her father filed a discrimination charge with the Missouri Commission of Human Rights, according to the lawsuit. The MCHR then issued a notice of right to sue on August 23.
According to court records, the student started her academic journey at Oakland Middle School in August 2021. The legal suit highlights that the young girl is of Ukrainian origin and has a distinctive accent, which qualifies her as a protected class under the Missouri Human Rights Act.
According to the lawsuit, the girl’s father repeatedly brought to the school’s attention the bullying, racial discrimination, and harassment that his daughter was facing. The court documents allege that the girl was subjected to physical assault, racist name-calling, false accusations of theft, stalking, and unwarranted blame for playing provocative music.
According to court documents, the school district was accused of retaliating by neglecting to discipline students who used derogatory language, permitting the supposed bullying to persist, refusing to provide necessary accommodations, and placing the girl in an in-school suspension.
According to the lawsuit, the father of the girl in question lodged a complaint on November 17, 2021, and followed up on December 10, 2021. However, despite a call from Mielke on December 12, 2021, there was no clear plan to put an end to the bullying. The lawsuit further alleges that the situation escalated to the point where the student was effectively expelled from Oakland Middle School on December 20, 2021.
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