Black vice principal sues Sacramento school district, alleging years of racist behavior

Marcus D. Smith
·2 min read

A Sacramento assistant principal who was harassed with racist graffiti and social media posts last fall announced filed a lawsuit against the Sacramento City Unified School District on Wednesday, alleging officials failed to protect her from race-based discrimination by students, parents and staff.

Elysse Versher, a former vice principal at West Campus High School, announced the lawsuit with her attorneys and representatives from the Greater Sacramento NAACP.

The school district last week released findings from an internal investigation that concluded someone inflicted racist abuse on Versher last fall, both with graffiti on campus and on social media. The district could not identify suspects in the incidents.

Versher alleges in the lawsuit that she experienced racist interactions with colleagues, parents and students well before those incidents.

Elysse Versher, a former assistant principal at West Campus High School, speaks emotionally at rally at the state Capitol on Wednesday about racist treatment at the school. She is filing a lawsuit against the school district.
Elysse Versher, a former assistant principal at West Campus High School, speaks emotionally at rally at the state Capitol on Wednesday about racist treatment at the school. She is filing a lawsuit against the school district.

For instance, Versher alleges in the lawsuit that officials did not take corrective action against a colleague who in 2019 used a derogatory phrase when referring to the school’s Black student union. That same year, she alleged, the school administration did not take her seriously when she alleged a parent had slashed her car tire.

In another case, she alleged a group of white students in October 2020 took over a class meeting on a video conference and used racial slurs to refer to Black students. Versher alleged the white students were not disciplined.

“This seriously disturbed the African-American students and made them hurt, upset, and terrified for their safety and well being as African-American students at West Campus. It also seriously disputed the learning environment in violation of well-established campus rules and regulations,” Versher’s lawsuit says.

A spokesman for the school district said the district had not yet received Versher’s lawsuit. The district declined to comment further.

Versher recently announced her resignation from the district as she no longer felt protected and needed to focus on her mental health and healing past the traumatic experience.

Versher was joined at her press conference by lead attorney Rodney Diggs of Ivie McNeill Wyatt Purcell & Diggs firm.

Supporting Versher during the press conference wer civic and community organizations, such as the Greater Sacramento NAACP, Sacramento BAPAC, Black Lives Matter Sacramento, NAN Sacramento,Sacramento ACT Unity of Sacramento, Diocese of Sacramento, and the California Black Chamber of Commerce.

“As the oldest civil rights organization in our nation, it’s imperative that we give voice to this issue and not forget that racism is alive and well as the most discriminated race in our America,” said Betty Williams, Sacramento NAACP Branch President.