‘Festering’ harassment: Idaho family alleges school ignored bullying against Black students

Editor's note: This story contains offensive language in descriptions of a racial slur.

For years, three students have been on the receiving end of racial slurs and threats from classmates and teachers at Eagle High School, while school district officials were unwilling to put a stop to it, according to a tort claim filed by the father of two of the students.

The claim filed last month, which was obtained by the Idaho Statesman through a public records request with Ada County, alleged years of racial harassment and bullying that three Eagle High students faced beginning in 2021. According to the claim, which named the victims only by their initials, the district failed to take any action and attributed the abuse to the culture of the school, despite meetings between administrators and the family who filed the claim.

West Ada Superintendent Derek Bub told the family that there was “nothing he or the school could do to help mitigate or prevent the harassment students were facing inside and outside of the school,” the father alleged in the complaint. The Statesman chose not to name the father to protect his children’s anonymity.

Bub said the district is “fully cooperating” with the legal process.

“Our priority, as always, remains the well-being and integrity of our students, staff and community,” Bub said in an email to the Statesman and declined to comment further, citing pending litigation. The plaintiff in the case and his attorney also declined to comment.

Filing a tort claim is a way to notify government entities that a plaintiff plans to file a lawsuit. In this claim — which was filed against the school, West Ada School District, the city of Eagle and Ada County officials — attorney Max Williams wrote that he hopes to “discuss this matter” with the defendants and to resolve the issue “without the need for formal litigation.”

The claim alleged that the county, city and school district had all “intentionally or as a result of gross negligence” allowed the students to suffer harm through harassment and a “hostile learning environment.”

Niki Scheppers, spokesperson for the West Ada School District, in a statement said the district thoroughly investigates such allegations “to ensure corrective action if needed.” It’s worth noting that the West Ada employees mentioned in the tort claim remain in good standing with the district, she said.

“These are serious allegations, and we investigate them fully, as we do with any matter brought to our attention,” Scheppers told the Statesman. “Our priority, as always, is the well-being and integrity of our students, staff and community, ensuring that Eagle High School and all schools in West Ada School District remain a safe place for all students.”

Dana Biberston, a spokesperson for the city of Eagle, told the Statesman in an email that the city was unaware of the matter until it received the claim letter, adding that “matters involving faculty and/or students at Eagle High School fall under the purview of the West Ada School District, not the city of Eagle.”

Ada County commissioners declined to comment on the claim, also citing pending litigation.

Victims lived in ‘continuous fear,’ claim alleges

Two students told administrators at Eagle High several times over the past three years that they were being subjected to racial slurs and threats, but nothing was done and no one was disciplined, according to the claim. One student complained to Assistant Principal Marc Lannon about the “festering racial harassment” they were experiencing, but he declined to take action, Williams wrote in the complaint.

The students were subjected to harassment by other students through social media, but their harassers faced no repercussions from administrators, according to the claim. Under the district’s policy on bullying, students could face consequences, even expulsion, if the district finds them participating in cyberbullying using district resources, though it’s unclear from the claim whether district resources were used.

The complaint described several instances of racial harassment students experienced, including when a group of white students “incessantly” called one student, referred to as “A.H.,” the N-word, telling them numerous times to “kill yourself.” One student “on many occasions” threw condiments and eggs at A.H.’s and other students’ cars — and when it was reported, the administration instructed the reporting students to “be more kind,” according to the complaint.

“A.H. and the other victims had to live in continuous fear of harassment and being called (the N-word) … due to the administrator’s negligent actions and intentional dismissals” of numerous reports, the complaint said.

One of the students sent a letter to Boise Mayor Lauren McLean’s office about the harassment and abuse she was experiencing at Eagle High. According to the complaint, the mayor’s office informed the school about the letter, and the student was called into the principal’s office and warned that the letter made them “look bad.” She was told not to talk about what happened again, Williams wrote in the complaint, and that student transitioned to homeschooling instead.

“Of course, Eagle High never took any initiative to make their students, specifically the victims, feel safe from abuse, nor were they listened to,” the complaint said.

McLean’s office declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation.

During a visit to Eagle High at an unspecified time, Bub said he “was embarrassed to hear what was occurring” at the school and blamed the harassment on the school’s “climate and culture,” according to the claim. He said each incident would be investigated but didn’t inform the students or families about any investigations, Williams wrote.

The West Ada School District’s policy on bullying prohibits physical and verbal abuse. Under the policy, a school administrator is responsible for investigating instances of bullying and gathering statements from the victim, the person accused and any witnesses. The administrator could take disciplinary action if sufficient evidence is found.

Bub’s statements during the visit showed he “was fully apprised of the harassment and racial discrimination occurring in the school,” the claim said.

Eagle teacher accused of using slur in class

The claim alleged the students felt targeted by some Eagle High educators and belittled in front of classmates because of their race, and described in detail instances involving one teacher. Mike Corbett repeatedly used the N-word in class, both in the context of history lessons — telling students that Black soldiers returning from World War II were subjected to the slur — and in “unsolicited” moments, making “a point of saying offensive and derogatory words to his students,” according to the claim.

When one student reported Corbett to school administrators, the teacher “spewed vitriolic anger” toward that student, according to the claim. Corbett repeatedly displayed “mugshots” of former Eagle High students, including former Black students, in his classroom “simply to belittle” those former students, according to the claim.

Corbett, the complaint said, “flippantly disregarded his students’ concerns as no big deal.” He did not respond to requests for comment.

Eagle High administration more than once ignored documented abuse “and authorized the offending teachers to continue with their discriminatory behavior,” according to the claim. “Nothing was ever done by any administration to help protect the victims who reached out countless times for help.”

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