Los Angeles school officials are taking action against hate speech after Black teachers and students reported being called racial slurs and targeted on school campuses.
During emotional testimony, educators said they had been called the N-word and compared to monkeys. One teacher told the board he was compelled to draft his own hate-speech policy after administrators failed to respond.
In response, the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday to strengthen districtwide policies and school-based strategies addressing hate speech, harassment and discrimination.
The decision followed months of pressure from Black educators and community members, who accused the nation’s second-largest school district of failing to adequately protect students and employees from harassment.
Board Member Karla Griego, who introduced the resolution, said increasingly hostile rhetoric directed at vulnerable communities was making its way into schools.
“Given the surge in hate crimes across our neighborhoods, it is our duty to reinforce our schools as secure sanctuaries and protective havens for all,” Griego said. “Intimidation, harassment and bullying fueled by hate speech and racial slurs will not be tolerated within our public schools.”
The resolution calls for more staff training, updated reference materials, consistent reporting procedures and stronger accountability when incidents are reported.
The effort was driven by troubling testimony from teachers and students, who told board members that racial slurs and other anti-Black harassment had become a recurring part of life on some campuses.
Bruce Brown, a Black LAUSD teacher who said he has spent 15 of his 28 years in education with the district, described a series of alleged incidents during public comment.
“Students have kicked my door and ran away, leaving banana peels, N-words, saying things that are extremely bigoted,” Brown told board members.
Brown said he ultimately had to create his own hate-speech policy because he believed no one else was addressing the problem. He also alleged that administrators issued him racially motivated disciplinary write-ups, despite witnesses and surveillance footage that he said supported his account.
“I have to say that, because as a black man from top to bottom, I don’t like when people try to explain what we’re dealing with,” Brown said. “So I’m here to tell you, here and now, the word is not acceptable.”
Shelly Castillo, another educator who spoke to the board, said Black students had told her they were being called the N-word, “monkeys” and other demeaning names.
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She said many students remained silent because they feared they would not be believed or might face additional isolation or retaliation.
Castillo also said she had found the N-word written on desks and her classroom whiteboard. She described students making monkey gestures at her while she taught.
“I’ve been appalled to hear the N-word used widely and freely on campuses and even in the classrooms,” she told board members.
Chloe Claxton, a senior at an LAUSD high school, raised similar concerns, saying students at her predominantly white school were not consistently held accountable for using racial slurs.
“From my observations as a student attending a predominantly white school, students who say the N-words and concerns regarding African Americans are not held accountable for their actions,” Claxton said.
“They’re either given a light warning or they simply ignore it and don’t report it. And when teachers do report the action, school administrators … instead disregard it.”
Superintendent Andrés E. Chait supported the resolution, saying the district has a responsibility to ensure that students and staff are treated with respect.
“Hate speech, harassment, and discrimination have no place in our schools,” Chait said. “Fostering a culture of respect, inclusion and belonging is not only a personal priority, but a reflection of the values at the very heart of Los Angeles Unified.”
Board President Scott Schmerelson said the district would review its policies to help students and employees more easily identify and report hate speech.
“Students can only learn when they feel safe and welcome,” Schmerelson said.
Board Member Sherlett Hendy Newbill cautioned, however, that approving a resolution would mean little without effective enforcement.
“Our success cannot be measured simply by the passage of this resolution, but by what happens afterward,” Newbill said.
