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The Mamaroneck Union Free School District agreed to make these changes following an investigation conducted by the New York Office of the Attorney General, Attorney General Letitia James announced on Tuesday, July 18.
According to James, the investigation was started in June 2020 following allegations from students and parents that district administrators were not adequately addressing confirmed instances of race- and gender-based bullying and harassment.
The probe ultimately found that the district's failure to address the bullying constituted violations of Title VI and Title IX, federal laws that require schools to protect students from race- and gender-based misconduct.
According to the Attorney General's Office, Black students in Mamaroneck schools were often targets of racial epithets and sexually offensive harassment. The district would then promptly investigate these incidents, but then fail to take the necessary responses to prevent them from happening again in the future.
This led to continued bullying and harassment in the district that caused students to experience physical, mental, and emotional suffering, officials said.
As part of the agreement reached between the district and the Attorney General's Office, the district will implement the following reforms:
- Revising the district's harassment policies to make sure there are prompt and effective responses to any misconduct;
- Punishing retaliatory attacks from offenders after victims make reports to administration;
- Providing written reports for each student complaint involving bullying, harassment, or discrimination;
- Providing school-based counseling services to the students most at risk of being affected by misconduct.
To make sure the district complies with these measures, the administration will be required to provide written summary reports to the Attorney General's Office of all bullying and harassment incidents.
With the completed agreement, James said the district has "committed to take appropriate measures to meet its duty to children and their families and to protect students from bullying, harassment, and discrimination."
"My office will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that every child feels safe and respected in the classroom," she continued.
Village of Mamaroneck Mayor Tom Murphy acknowledged the need for change in the district's policies.
"Mamaroneck, like any community, is not immune from both explicit and implicit discrimination. I am glad that reforms will be enacted to protect our children from race-based prejudice,” he said.
Murphy continued, "No child should feel intimidated and unwelcome in their learning environment. Hopefully the changes that will be enacted in the settlement will improve how these awful situations are handled in the future."
The probe into the district was the Attorney General's Office's first investigation into allegations of student-on-student race-based bullying and harassment, officials said.
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