Attorneys for two Black girls at a Massachusetts high school have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, claiming the students were “relentlessly targeted” during the 2023-2024 school year by racial bullying and harassment while officials looked the other way and never held their peers accountable.
Instead of confronting the pervasive culture of racism, the school’s front office frequently targeted the victims for punishment, including an instance where staff called the police on one of the sisters over a minor altercation, the suit, obtained by Atlanta Black Star alleges.
The complaint calls for a federal investigation into the “racially hostile and unsafe environment” at Millbury Memorial Junior/Senior High School, where only 4.7 percent of the student body identifies as Black, according to the filing.
The sisters, ages 13 and 16, allege they were repeatedly targeted with racial slurs by white students, including being called “monkey,” the N-word, and subjected to degrading comments like “Black as f–k,” “ugly,” and “too dark.”
On social media, one of the sisters was told to “go back” to her “motherland.”
The complaint states that Millbury school officials painted the sisters as “dangerous liars” and aggressors in every disciplinary matter, thereby “perpetuating a pattern of disproportionately punishing students of color.”
In the incident where the police were called, school officials ignored the girl’s “non-violent history and the absence of any injuries” to other students, the lawsuit claims.
Additionally, the same girl allegedly faced punishment for tearing up a piece of paper with the N-word written on it, which had been given to her by a white student.
The complaint also states that the school suspended both sisters on separate occasions without sufficient cause, with one of them receiving a 20-day suspension.
According to the lawsuit, the younger sister was suspended three times during the school year, including once for one day when putting her hair up in a ponytail after that was interpreted as a sign of aggression against a white student.
The complaint alleges that the school did not inform the parents of white students about their discriminatory and abusive behavior. In contrast, when the Black sisters reported issues to school officials, they were questioned, doubted, and dismissed.
Mirian Albert, the attorney leading the case, told GBH News, “Instead of the school protecting the sisters against this racial harassment, what the school did was they relied on racist and harmful stereotypes about Black girls.”
The complaint states that during the 2022-2023 school year, Black students at Millbury Memorial were nearly four times more likely to receive an out-of-school suspension compared to white students, with attorneys citing school-specific disciplinary data maintained by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The complaint further alleges that an assistant principal protected the white students by escorting them to the bus stop and riding the bus to ensure their safe arrival at the drop-off point, with part of this effort aimed at monitoring the Black girls.
Lawyers for Civil Rights, which filed the legal action with the U.S. Department of Education on behalf of Trusha Vilvar and her daughters, released a statement accusing school officials of letting deplorable behavior by its students to spiral out of control.
“The girls bravely reported these incidents, and their mother consistently communicated concerns to school officials,” “Yet, school officials took no meaningful action to root out racism or hold racist perpetrators accountable.”
Vilvar also issued a statement, calling the alleged inaction by school officials inexcusable.
“The unbearable racial bullying my children have suffered, coupled with the lack of accountability by the Millbury School District, must be addressed,” Vilvar, the girls’ mother, said in a statement. “Those responsible should be held accountable, and policies must change to ensure the safety of not only my children, but all students in the district.”
Millbury Schools Superintendent Greg Myers issued a statement addressing the explosive allegations, saying, “I can say that we take such allegations very seriously and address them in accordance with our Title VI procedures.”
Myers added, “We welcome a comprehensive review of our practices and procedures to ensure that our schools are respectful and supportive of all students. Our goal is to cultivate a community where every student is valued and has the opportunity to thrive. We look forward to working with the Office of Civil Rights to resolve each of these allegations.
The case is the latest in a series of complaints against several Massachusetts school districts, alleging violations of civil rights, including in Brookline, Southwick, and Melrose.
The sisters continue to attend Millbury “but now feel unsafe and hesitant to report” the abuse they face on a daily basis.
“When students report discrimination, schools are not permitted to shirk their legal responsibility. They are not above the law. Here, Millbury Memorial repeatedly failed (these sisters) by unjustly disciplining them instead of addressing the racial harassment they faced,” said Mirian Albert, senior attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights.
“It’s definitely a systemic issue. The school has a legal and moral duty to protect students, and that’s not what Millbury did.”
