A settlement was recently reached between two African-American students, the city of Yerington, and the Lyon County School District. In a federal discrimination lawsuit filed earlier this year, the students, 15-year-old sisters, Jayla Tolliver and Taylissa Marriott were allegedly subjected to “repeated racial bullying at their rural Nevada high school.” The bullying and discrimination occurred when the sisters were freshmen at Yerington High. Their parents decided to file the lawsuit back in January alleging the girls “had been subjected to repeated racial slurs and threats for at least six months.”
A settlement was recently reached between two African-American students, the city of Yerington, and the Lyon County School District. In a federal discrimination lawsuit filed earlier this year, the students, 15-year-old sisters, Jayla Tolliver and Taylissa Marriott were allegedly subjected to “repeated racial bullying at their rural Nevada high school.” The bullying and discrimination occurred when the sisters were freshmen at Yerington High. Their parents decided to file the lawsuit back in January alleging the girls “had been subjected to repeated racial slurs and threats for at least six months.”
Though certain details of the settlement have been sealed by U.S. District Court Judge Larry Hicks, the lawyer for the girls “declared victory on Tuesday, and court records show the city and the Lyon County School District agreed to pay at least $160,000 to cover the students’ attorney fees.”
When speaking out about her experiences and the bullying she endured, Marriott said, “I would never in a million years believe we would have to go through what we did.” Tolliver chimed in saying, “I hope that our story inspires others.”
According to the lawsuit, the girls experienced much more than name-calling. For example, court documents mentioned that the name-calling “became terrifying in October when photos of a Lyon County sheriff’s deputy’s son holding a gun and wearing a belt with knives was posted on social media.” According to the suit, “superimposed over the photos were the words ‘the red neck god of all gods. We bout to go (racial slur) huntin’’ and ‘Watch out (racial slur).’”
The lead attorney for the sisters, Terri Keyser-Cooper argued throughout the court proceedings that “school officials knew the girls were complaining about the racial comments but that district officials couldn’t produce a single document showing they had investigated the near-daily racial name-calling or had interviewed the girls about their experiences.” In short, the district did nothing to help the sisters or stop the bullying.
During the court proceedings, lawyers for the school district even said the “girls and their families could not prove there had been deliberate indifference necessary to establish a violation of federal law regarding the allegations of bullying and race-based discrimination.” It was only after the lawsuit was filed that the school district implemented “changes to existing policies, reached out to racial harassment experts from the U.S Department of Education and agreed to pay for counseling for the teens.”
Even the police did little to stop the bullying when asked to step in. Back in October when the threats were posted on social media, Yerington Police Chief Darren Wagner said, “he was not investigating the threats posted on social media because they were protected as free speech.”
Shortly after the settlement agreement was announced, Cooper and co-counsel Kerry Doyle issued a statement saying “they are hopeful Yerington police and school officials will in the future be more sensitive, compassionate and responsive should racist behavior again occur.”
The Lyon County School District also issued a statement saying it was “pleased to confirm the matter has been resolved…The district looks forward to working positively with students, families, and staff to ensure a safe and respectful learning environment for everyone.”
Sources:
Rural black Nevada students win discrimination settlement
Students At Rural Nevada High School Win Settlement In Discrimination Lawsuit
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