Lawsuit sparks better definition of what's deemed appropriate clothing in Effingham schools

Last week, parents and students filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Effingham County School District, alleging racial discrimination in what students are allowed to wear.

The school district’s dress code policy states that, “No inappropriate clothing and no insignias/logos larger than the size of a credit card…the uniform dress code prohibits students from wearing or displaying expressive items on the uniform that may contribute to disruption by substantially interfering with discipline or with the rights of others.”

The lawsuit obtained by the Savannah Morning News says the language of the dress code is “vague” and has “been interpreted and enforced to exclude ‘Black Lives Matter’ but not Confederate flag attire or regalia.” The school district declined to comment about an ongoing lawsuit.

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Lakeisha Hamilton, who is named as one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, is a criminal and personal injury attorney. She said she has no issue with her child not being allowed to wear “Black Lives Matter” clothing, so long as other students are prohibited from wearing anything that could promote or fuel racial animosity.

“We still have a Confederate flag in our trophy case in the school,” said Hamilton. “The N-word is tossed around without any consequence.”

Hamilton decided to file the lawsuit after learning the phrase, “I hate n—” was written in the locker room that the baseball players use. After meeting with school officials, including Superintendent Yancy Ford, Hamilton said, “They gave me this song and dance about how they care about all students. But we had a kid that dressed up as Adolf Hitler for spirit week in September.”

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Pachita Wright, a parent not named in the lawsuit, said her daughter was wearing a “Black Lives Matter” shirt while attending a football game at Effingham County High School in 2020. Upon entry, she was approached by uniformed officers and told her attire was not allowed.

“Dr. Ford said it is a political statement and they don't allow political statements at school from teachers or students regardless of what it is,” said Wright.

The lawsuit also alleges that, “A white student was allowed entry at the very same event with a shirt that read, ‘Stomp on My Flag; I'll Stomp Your A--’. There were no repercussions for that white student.”

Hamilton hopes the lawsuit will bring about change in the school system, saying regardless or color, she wants parents to know their children are in a safe space.

“Like all public-school districts in the state of Georgia that receive federal funding, they are under obligation to not promote or allow racism, racial environments and racially hostile environments,” said Hamilton.

“They also have a duty to not be silent and permissive by not doing anything. My ultimate goal is that all children — black, white or other — are treated equally. Even when it comes to discipline, the way they administer discipline to students is disproportionately administered to children of color versus Caucasian students. I've had a multitude of people explain stories about what has happened to their children. I don’t want our children to be anybody's punching bag.”

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Alleged racism lawsuit: Effingham County schools dress code is vague