Farmington Schools Disagree With Bullying Accusations

FARMINGTON, CT — Local school officials Wednesday confirmed the district is being subjected to a civil rights probe by federal education officials regarding a bullying complaint, a complaint school officials disagree with.

According to Hearst Connecticut Media's CT Insider website, the U.S. Department of Education Aug. 10 told a parent it is looking into complaints the school system failed to act on reports of a middle school student being bullied, among other incidents appearing to target the LGBTQ community.

In a statement sent to Patch Wednesday afternoon through Farmington Superintendent of Schools Kathleen C. Greider's office, school officials said they're working with federal investigators.

Farmington school officials said Wednesday they had received notice from the federal education department's Office for Civil Rights that an investigation is underway.

"The district has received notice from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), U.S. Department of Education that they have received a complaint and we will be working with OCR to respond to their inquiry," reads the school system's response.

"We are also charged by law to protect the privacy of our students. Given the need to protect the integrity of the OCR process and the confidentiality of student information, the district is not able to comment further on an individual student or situation per state and federal student privacy laws and requirements."

School officials said they had "a different perspective" on the allegations, but they "respect the process and will be working with OCR to assist them in their review of these issues."

The school system said it is "deeply committed to creating inclusive and safe school environments."

"We do not tolerate any actions by students or others in the school community that reflect disrespect or attack others, and we take disciplinary action in circumstances when students engage in such behavior," wrote the superintendent's office.

Farmington also said it has a web page available for public viewing online on issues of inclusion and diversity within the schools.

"There are several Board of Education policies and regulations aligned to state and federal laws that also speak to the district’s commitment to equity and inclusivity," school officials said.

"These policies are promptly followed when student conduct issues are witnessed by or reported to personnel."

For the Farmington School System's webpage addressing inclusivity and diversity, click on this link.

For more information on the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, click on this link.

For the full CT Insider report, click on this link.