DOJ, Tennessee school reach settlement after racial harassment investigation

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A school district in eastern Tennessee has agreed to implement changes after a federal investigation found several incidents of race-based harassment. The Department of Justice announced the settlement Monday after initially alerting the school district in 2023 that it would launch an investigation because school officials had been “deliberately indifferent” to known race-based harassment. This included incidents of students holding a mock “slave auction” to sell Black students to their white classmates, and white students repeatedly and openly using racial slurs. According to the DOJ settlement, Hawkins County Schools has agreed to eight changes that will be implemented over the next few years, such as hiring a compliance officer to oversee racial discrimination and harassment complaints.