HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. — Hawkins County Schools will need to implement several changes after the Department of Justice said it found several instances of race-based harassment and student-led racism.
In a release, the Department of Justice said the school district entered a settlement agreement about the racial harassment. It said investigators began looking into allegations of race-based harassment in March 2023, reviewing around 2,000 pages of documents as well as audio and video recordings.
"On September 8, 2023, following a careful review, the Department notified the District of its finding that the District had been deliberately indifferent to known race-based harassment in its schools, violating the equal protection rights of Black students," the agreement said.
The Department of Justice said students hosted a mock "slave auction" in which Black students were "sold" to their white counterparts. It also said Hawkins County students repeatedly and openly used racial slurs and created a racist, monthly campaign to ridicule Black students. Collectively, it created a racially hostile environment.
In a letter, investigators also described incidents when racist slurs led to a fight. It described an incident when a student made drawings of the Ku Klux Klan, a group known for its campaign of racist terror across parts of the South. The letter also said investigators found hate symbols used by Nazi groups.
Most disciplinary measures included a few days of in-school suspension, some instances of out-of-school suspension and leaders gave statements telling students to be mindful of their language.
The release said the school district took steps to acknowledge some of the harassment, but its response was not enough to protect Black students' Constitutional rights.
As part of the agreement, Hawkins County Schools will need to implement at least eight specific changes, listed below.
- Hiring a compliance officer to oversee the effective resolution of race discrimination and harassment complaints;
- Retaining a consultant to support the school district in implementing the agreement and creating a discrimination-free learning environment for all;
- Creating a new electronic reporting portal to track and manage complaints and the district’s response to complaints;
- Updating its racial harassment and school discipline policies to more accurately track and consistently respond to complaints of race-based harassment;
- Training staff on how to identify, investigate and respond to complaints of racial harassment and discriminatory discipline practices;
- Informing students and parents of how to report harassment and discrimination;
- Implementing listening sessions, school climate surveys, training and educational events on identifying and preventing race discrimination, including discriminatory harassment; and
- Analyzing discipline data and amending policies to ensure non-discriminatory enforcement of discipline policies.
“Racial harassment undermines a student's ability to feel safe, eliminates any hope for fostering a supportive educational environment and violates the Constitution’s most basic promise of equal protection. The Justice Department remains committed to protecting the civil rights of all students and will ensure that Hawkins County Schools takes all actions necessary to end racial discrimination in its schools," said Kristen Clarke in a release, the assistant attorney general of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division.