Four civil rights groups in Texas recently filed a federal complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), accusing the Bonham municipal court and the Bonham Independent School District of intentionally and unfairly penalizing Black and disabled students for behavioral issues. The groups have asked the DOJ to require that the Bonham Independent School District compensate the students who were harmed for damages and have also asked that the school district be required to modify its policies and administer bias training for school and court employees.

The four groups filing the complaint—Disability Rights Texas, Texas Appleseed, Texas Civil Rights Project, and the National Center for Youth Law—allege that the Bonham municipal court and the Bonham Independent School District created a hostile school environment for Black and disabled students and pushed them out of the schools by frequently sending these students to the disciplinary alternative education program (DAEP). DAEP is an educational and self-discipline alternative instructional program for students who are removed from their regular classes for mandatory or discretionary disciplinary reasons.

These four civil rights groups also recently filed a complaint with the Texas Education Agency for similar issues concerning disabled students in the Corpus Christi Independent School District. When a student faces issues within a school's disciplinary system, they have rights and the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team can help. If your student has experienced discrimination or any kind of disciplinary action in school, call the Lento Law Firm at 888-535-3686 or tell us about your case online.

Students in Public Schools Have Legal Protections Against Harassment and Discrimination

When a student attends public school, there are federal civil rights laws that protect that student from discrimination. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. And Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. Yet, in spite of these laws, there was a record number of discrimination complaints processed by the Office for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Education between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022.

All students have the right to a safe learning environment in school. Schools are legally required to have policies in place that prohibit and protect against harassment and discrimination of students, and they must institute policies for filing a complaint.

If your K-12 student attends public school and is experiencing discrimination based on race, disability, national origin, religion, or sex, your student has rights. When those rights are violated, we can help. The Lento Law Firm's skilled Education Law Team is available to represent your elementary or secondary school student, protecting their rights and aggressively advocating on their behalf. The Lento Law Firm Team has helped hundreds of students across the country. Contact us today or call the Lento Law Firm at 888-535-3686.