U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref | U.S. Department of Justice
The Justice Department has reached an agreement with the Ellensburg School District in Washington State to address issues of harassment and discrimination against students based on sex, race, color, and national origin. This follows an investigation by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington.
The investigation revealed that Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ students faced significant harassment within the district. These included verbal abuse, physical assaults, and threats. The school district was found to have inadequately responded to these incidents despite being aware of them.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke emphasized the importance of a safe educational environment: “All students, whether Black, Latino or LGBTQ+, have a right to attend school free from fear and harassment.” She highlighted that schools should be supportive spaces for students.
U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref acknowledged the cooperation of Ellensburg School District during the investigation: “The U.S. Attorney’s Office commends the Ellensburg School District for its full cooperation throughout the investigation and its commitment to improving the educational environment for students through reforming its response to reports of harassment.”
The department's inquiry began in August 2023 under Titles IV and VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. It involved reviewing records from several school years and interviewing over 100 individuals connected with the district.
As part of the settlement agreement, Ellensburg School District will implement several reforms. These include hiring a third-party consultant to aid in creating a discrimination-free environment, appointing coordinators to manage harassment reports effectively, establishing a new electronic reporting system for tracking such reports, updating policies for timely responses to harassment claims, training staff and students on identifying harassment, and conducting annual climate assessments.
This action aligns with the Justice Department's priority to enforce civil rights laws protecting students from harassment. More information about their work can be found at www.justice.gov/crt.
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