December 21, 2024
The Bayliss children were reportedly called racial slurs and subjected to racist rhetoric at their own school.
The parents of two black middle school students in Portage, Michigan, filed a federal lawsuit last week against the school district and administration at Portage West Middle School, claiming their children were racially harassed by their peers and the school bus driver while Administrators have repeatedly failed to take action on this behavior despite it being brought to their attention numerous times.
The lawsuit, filed recently in U.S. District Court, alleges that the Portage Public School District’s lack of action allowed for an environment where racial harassment was rampant and condoned by staff. that Adam and Nakia Bayliss, their parents, had to remove them from their school, Portage West Middle School, for their well-being.
The lawsuit names West Middle School principal Jason Messenger, assistant principal Sidney Bailey, school counselor Becky Moon and school bus driver Bob Hayworth as defendants.
The Bayliss family claimed they presented evidence of the abuse to the school administration, but school officials failed to take the necessary steps at every turn.
The Baileys’ family described several meetings with school administrators between September and November 2023, and each resulted in staff allegedly failing to end the harassment. The Baileys were reportedly told the district had no policy, which specifically combats racial harassment, despite Portage’s 5% black population the population. “During the meeting, the administration acknowledged that there was no specific policy to address racial harassment. This lack of a specific policy left both (students) and other students of color vulnerable to ongoing harassment without adequate protections or clear processes to address such behavior.”
The lawsuit describes some of the troubling incidents the Bayliss family encountered at Portage West Middle School, detailing multiple instances where other students called them racial slurs and told them to “go pick cotton.” The harassment also escalated online, where they were derogatory messages have been sent on social networks.
One particular incident on Halloween disturbingly described a school bus driver stalking Bayliss children through their neighborhood while yelling racial slurs at them.
One piece of evidence included in the lawsuit shows a photo of a white student in blackface posted on social media that included the caption, “I turned myself into a ***.”
Other evidence included photographs of racist messages sent to Baileys’ children, including images of members of the Ku Klux Klan.
Adam and Nakia said the racial slurs traumatized their children.
Nakia is also an advocate for social justice and she said Weather times that pursuing legal action was an incredibly important step in making sure that black children in Portage are protected in the future.
He said: “Our purpose in pursuing this case is not to shame others, but to use our privilege to achieve justice, not just for our family, but for all families who may not have the same resources and face similar challenges.”
He added: “It is unfortunate that providing a safe and equal educational environment for every student, regardless of race or ethnicity, requires such measures.”
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