DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — Three families allege the Douglas County School District, DCSD Board of Education and Castle Rock Middle School Principal John Veit failed to protect their children from racial harassment, according to a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday.
Lacey Ganzy is one of the plaintiffs and is representing her two children, who are biracial. Her teen son, Jeramiah, told Denver7 in May he experienced so much racism at Castle Rock MS that he no longer felt safe there. He said the racism was so egregious, he finished the rest of the school year online.
Ganzy's daughter briefly attended Douglas County High School, where she experienced racism, according to court documents.
The two other children at the center of the lawsuit also attended Castle Rock MS and identify as Black or biracial.
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Teen says he no longer feels safe after alleged racism at Castle Rock MS
The lawsuit claims Ganzy's daughter was subjected to a "hostile educational environment" during her time at Douglas County HS.
On one occasion, the girl, who was 16 at the time, was told her clothing violated school dress code. When she pointed to a white classmate who was wearing the same pair of athletic shorts, the teacher told her "she was not built like the other girls," according to documents.
On another occasion, the lawsuit alleges that the girl's social studies teacher made students debate the "pros and cons" of Jim Crow laws, which codified racial segregation in the American South beginning in the 1870s.
The teen, who was the only Black student in the class, was assigned by the teacher to argue in favor of Jim Crow laws, the lawsuit states. The assignment allegedly counted for a large percentage of her grade for the course. The teen was not allowed to switch debate topics, and was allegedly told she would receive a failing grade if she did not participate.
Less than 24 hours before the due date, the teacher allegedly allowed the teen to switch arguments. However, the short notice affected the student's performance, the lawsuit claims.
Students at Douglas County HS "tormented" the teen girl on the basis of her race, according to court documents. She was allegedly referred to as a "fat cotton picker."
On one occasion, a physical education teacher heard the comments and reported it to administration, according to the lawsuit. School administration later informed the teen and her mother that the student who said the comment would not be punished, the lawsuit states.
Ganzy removed her daughter from Douglas County HS after one month, court documents state.
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Jeramiah and the other two children represented in the lawsuit were eighth graders at Castle Rock MS during the 2022-2023 school year. They were the only Black or biracial students in their pod, an organization system used by the school in which smaller clusters of students share teachers and classes, according to court documents.
The lawsuit claims the three children were subjected to verbal insults, racist jokes and threats of violence throughout the school year. The three were referred to by their peers as "monkeys," "cotton-pickers" and the n-word, court documents allege.
The racist acts became worse during Black History Month, according to the lawsuit. The document states that at the end of February, one student approached Ganzy's son and "told him that his month was over, and he could go back to wherever he came from."
Jeramiah told Denver7 things escalated when he made administrators aware of a chat on the social media app Snapchat that included roughly 100 students. The Ganzys provided screenshots from the chat to Denver7 in May.
“They were sending the N-word. They were sending things against people of the Jewish religion. They were sending things against the LGBTQ community,” Jeramiah said at the time.
The lawsuit references the chat, and states "racially offensive comments and threat of killings were commonplace" among participants.
The three allegedly reported the racist incidents at various points in the year. In March, Jeramiah used the district's feedback form to share how “unwanted” he felt at school.
"Hello, I am a student at Castle Rock Middle School Recently, I have experienced many instances and suspicions of racial discrimination from students and teachers, and I feel it’s starting to become a problem across the school district for me and many others. I have constantly been racially profiled and offended by students at CRMS. They often use racial slurs near me and many others thinking it’s funny, and it makes me feel uncomfortable and unwanted in my school. I have asked multiple times for them stop to no avail. It comes from everyone, and I’ve been hearing slurs and stereotypes from other kids who go to schools in the area as well. It’s a problem that the school is also aware of, as I’ve heard from teachers that a meeting was held on the subject. They still have yet to talk to students about it. I raised suspicion today toward staff at a assembly we held. We were holding a school competition, and many students had their phones out to record the event, including me. Someone next me was scrolling through social media, and I was recording one of the contestants. This was put to a stop when a teacher angrily asked me to give them my phone. I complied, but I was shocked and confused as to why it was a problem that I was recording, just like the rest. Our school, along with many others, has a no cell phone policy, and I understand that and comply to those rules. But I don’t understand why I was a problem when others were doing the same. I felt singled out. It’s no one in particular, it’s everyone. It wasn’t just today, it’s everyday. There will even be times when staff will be in the area when such discrimination takes place. Nothing is done about the matter. I obviously cant control what students say or do, as it is not in my power to obstruct their rights. But on school grounds, it is expected, as stated on your webpage, that "the Douglas County School District RE-1 does not unlawfully discriminate against otherwise qualified students, employees, applicants for employment, or members of the public on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education services," and I feel students, and mainly students, should follow these rules at all times in school to make schools a safer and more welcoming environment for everyone. I feel that our school, along with many others, could use some redirection on how we treat fellow students. I’m just disappointed that this happens so often, and if it keeps coming from students, it’s paving a path for students in previous grades, and may never be fixed. I just ask that hate speech be punished and taken more seriously in our district to make the environment more welcoming for students now, and in the future. Thank you"
That form was forwarded to Castle Rock MS Principal John Veit.
In an email obtained by Denver7, which is referenced in the lawsuit, Veit responded only to a colleague saying, “It is unfortunate to hear. We are working on this, but I have a feeling it will be a long project for us. He did write very well in this.”
On April 19, Jeramiah and another student from the lawsuit were called to the office of the Castle Rock MS assistant principal. The lawsuit claims students had formed a white supremacy group and were "threatening to lynch a Black student."
The assistant principal asked Jeramiah and the other student if they had heard about the group or if they had been harassed, the document states. According to the lawsuit, Jeramiah told the assistant principal about the racial harassment he was subjected to, as well as the lack of response from teachers or administrators.
The next day, on April 20, Lacey Ganzy went to the school and insisted on a meeting with school administrators, the lawsuit says. She was allegedly told by the assistant principal that she needed to report her concerns to the district's Board of Education and speak to the media. The lawsuit claims the assistant principal said he was "backed up against a wall" and there "was nothing more he could do because of how the student handbook was written."
That afternoon, Ganzy talked with the district's deputy superintendent and a human resources representative at the Douglas County School Administration Building, the lawsuit states. She was allegedly promised a response from the school district, but never received one.
Later, Ganzy received a phone call from Veit and the school resource officer, according to court documents. Veit allegedly said students from the Snapchat group would be punished. The lawsuit claims only one student was punished with a "very short suspension."
The lawsuit claims Veit did little to protect Jeramiah, and the teen was forced to finish the school year remotely due to the harassment he faced.
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In May, the DCSD Board of Education voted to make updates to its equity policy. The changes expanded the definition of diversity so broadly, some board members expressed concern it diluted the intention of the policy. Revisions also put the responsibility of achieving equity on the students, not the district or staff.
Elizabeth Hanson, one of the three minority members on the board, resigned ahead of the vote because she said changing the equity policy failed the students.
The lawsuit claims the school district, school board and middle school principal violated the equal protection clause outlined in the 14th Amendment with their alleged actions. In addition, the school district is specifically accused of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, while Veit is specifically accused of neglect.
In a statement Thursday, the Douglas County Federation said in a statement they "unequivocally stand against racism and discrimination."
"It is imperative that Douglas County School District immediately launch antiracism training for all employees, especially those who work with students," said Douglas County Federation President Lucy Squire. "It is incumbent upon all of us to intervene when we witness racial injustice."
