{"id":753,"date":"2023-01-05T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-06T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cooper-for-all.local\/?p=753"},"modified":"2023-03-27T10:45:13","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:45:13","slug":"lubbock-cooper-isd-passed-a-resolution-denouncing-racist-bullying-in-schools-parents-say-its-a-publicity-stunt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cooper-for-all.local\/news\/lubbock-cooper-isd-passed-a-resolution-denouncing-racist-bullying-in-schools-parents-say-its-a-publicity-stunt\/","title":{"rendered":"Lubbock-Cooper ISD passed a resolution denouncing racist bullying in schools. Parents say it\u2019s a publicity stunt."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Jayme Lozano<\/a> from texastribune.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeks after a federal civil rights complaint<\/a> was filed against Lubbock-Cooper ISD for inaction on racist bullying, the district\u2019s board of trustees passed a resolution condemning racism during a special meeting Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tracy Kemp is a mother involved in the filing and was excited to see the bullying was finally being addressed \u2014 nearly nine months after she brought up her initial complaint<\/a> to the district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m really disappointed that it took national media coverage, bad press and angry parents for this,\u201d Kemp said on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The complaint filed by parents against the district alleges their children have faced daily harassment and violent bullying<\/a> from peers at Laura Bush Middle School in Lubbock. Black students were subjected to derogatory language and racial slurs both online and in person, as well as the sounds of cracking whips or monkey noises as the students walked down the halls, according to the filing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The harassment eventually became violent. Kemp\u2019s 15-year-old son was a target of assaults by his classmates. In response, she and other parents brought the evidence to school administrators and created a QR code for students to quickly report bullying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, parents say school officials would not take action to end the bullying or punish the students doing it, despite their \u201czero tolerance\u201d stance. The Black students involved in the fights were punished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zniyah Lewis was bullied while attending the middle school last year and is now a freshman at Lubbock-Cooper High School. At the crowded board meeting on Thursday, she asked the board what their definition of zero tolerance was, but her question was met with silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The board was then asked by Phyllis Gant, a member of the Lubbock NAACP, if they could answer her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can, we do not have to,\u201d answered Paul Ehlers, president of the board. \u201cWe\u2019ll let the statement stand for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milton Lee, the president of the Lubbock NAACP, emphasized to the board that they can still fix the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is not such a big issue that it can\u2019t be solved,\u201d Lee said. \u201cYou already have the blueprint, which is the zero tolerance. All we have to do is get together and say \u2018We\u2019re going to follow this, no matter who it may be.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vice President Daniel Castro read the multipage resolution, most of which was going over the district\u2019s version of the events from the past year. This includes their stance that Superintendent Keith Bryant met with the families involved and that no additional racially motivated incidents have been reported to the district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLies,\u201d Kemp said in response to both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Castro continued reading the resolution, which stated the board of trustees condemns all racially motivated behaviors, actions or speech. The resolution pledges to support all actions to end racism and discrimination among students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Lubbock-Cooper Independent School Board of Trustees is committed to maintaining a safe, orderly learning environment for students of all races, cultures and ethnicities,\u201d reads the resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the resolution passed, parents said after the meeting that it\u2019s not enough and the district hasn\u2019t tried to make meaningful changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey haven\u2019t spoken about anything coming to the table as far as trying to fix this issue,\u201d said Shardae McGaha, Zniyah\u2019s mother. \u201cAnd we know for a fact that we\u2019re not going to be able to fix this issue for our kids anytime soon. But we have other kids growing up that will be attending these schools so we just want to cut out the racism altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kemp called it a publicity stunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want them to come in and save the day,\u201d Kemp said. \u201cI don\u2019t know why it\u2019s hard to sit down and talk to families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zniyah was hopeful at the start of the meeting, but that mood diminished by the end of it. The 15-year-old says she doesn\u2019t feel safe at school but knows she has to go back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s heartbreaking to know I have to go back and this will be repeated because that\u2019s what happens,\u201d Zniyah said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jayme Lozano from texastribune.org Weeks after a federal civil rights complaint was filed against Lubbock-Cooper ISD for inaction on racist bullying, the district\u2019s board of trustees passed a resolution condemning racism during a special meeting Thursday. Tracy Kemp is a mother involved in the filing and was excited to see the bullying was finally […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":754,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[20,7],"yoast_head":"\nLubbock-Cooper ISD passed a resolution denouncing racist bullying in schools. 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