Pine City Public Schools to pay $65K to student who was racially harassed, officials say
By Mackenzie Lofgren, Adam Duxter
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PINE CITY, Minnesota (WCCO) — The Minnesota Department of Human Rights announced Thursday that it has secured a $65,000 settlement with the Pine City Public Schools for alleged repeated racial harassment of a seventh-grade girl.
The department says the young girl was repeatedly intimidated, bullied and harassed for months by more than 10 students during the 2020-2021 school year, and her parents had reported the bullying and harassment to school leadership numerous times.
The department launched an investigation into the harassment claims shortly after.
Following the investigation, the human rights department says the school district violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act by failing to timely and appropriately stop the racial harassment.
“Children deserve the opportunity to thrive, socially and academically, in school,” said Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero. “Today’s announcement serves as a reminder to schools across the state of their legal responsibilities under the Minnesota Human Rights Act to proactively prevent and stop harassment and discrimination.”
The department went on to say this in a press release:
“The district failed to follow its own harassment policy that required any employee who received a harassment report to promptly notify the superintendent. Any attempts Pine City Public Schools made to address the racial harassment were not effective because it continued.”
The district shared a statement with WCCO. As part of the settlement, the district denied any violation of the law, but said the district “remains focused on continued improvement, including fostering respect and understanding among students.”
Pine City Schools is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all students. We take allegations of discrimination or bullying seriously and are dedicated to upholding our policies against such behavior. The settlement addresses claims related to student-to-student interactions from the 2020-2021 school year, during the height of the pandemic, when students attended some or all of their classes from home.
As part of the settlement the district denied any violation of the law. The district, however, remains focused on continued improvement, including fostering respect and understanding among students.
The district has made many changes in the last 3-4 years. There is a different administrative team in place, more robust training, and improved processes to address claims of discrimination or bullying. We are committed to continuing to work closely with students, parents, and the community to create a positive school culture for all students.
In a survey done by the Minnesota Student Survey, 54% of students reported being bullied in the past month.
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