Los Angeles school officials are moving to confront hate speech after Black teachers and students testified that they had been subjected to racial slurs and harassment on campus.
During emotional testimony, educators said they had been called the N-word, compared to monkeys and targeted with other racist abuse. One teacher said he was forced 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-level strategies addressing hate speech, harassment and discrimination.
The action followed months of pressure from Black educators and community members, who accused the nation’s second-largest school district of failing to protect students and employees from racial harassment.
Board Member Karla Griego, who introduced the resolution, said increasingly hostile rhetoric targeting 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 includes expanded staff training, updated guidance materials, more consistent reporting procedures and stronger accountability when incidents are reported.
The demand for action was driven by disturbing accounts from teachers and students, who told the board that racial slurs and other anti-Black harassment had become routine parts 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, detailed several 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 created 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, even though witnesses and surveillance footage supported his version of events.
“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.”
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Shelly Castillo, another educator who spoke to the board, said Black students had reported being called the N-word, “monkeys” and other demeaning names.
Castillo said many students remained silent because they feared they would not be believed, isolated further or subjected to retaliation.
She also said she had found the N-word written on desks and her classroom whiteboard, while students made monkey gestures toward her as she taught.
“I’ve been appalled to hear the N-word used widely and freely on campuses and even in the classrooms,” Castillo told board members.
Chloe Claxton, a senior at an LAUSD high school, said similar concerns existed at her majority-white school, where students 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 endorsed the resolution, saying the district must 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 LAUSD would review its policies to help students and employees identify and report hate speech more easily.
“Students can only learn when they feel safe and welcome,” Schmerelson said.
Board Member Sherlett Hendy Newbill cautioned, however, that approving the resolution would mean little without meaningful enforcement.
“Our success cannot be measured simply by the passage of this resolution, but by what happens afterward,” Newbill said.
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