Melrose School District Faces Federal Discrimination Investigation

The U.S. Office for Civil Rights is investigating Melrose Public Schools in connection with a 2014 complaint that the district racially discriminates based on an incident between a teacher and student, according to a Wicked Local report.

The investigation centers around an accusation that a middle school teacher made derogatory comments about one of her students that were racially based, the report stated. The complaint also claims the district did not adequately address or resolve the incident, and that inaction has created a ”racially hostile environment” for students, which is still present, the report added.

District officials have not been forthcoming when it comes to releasing details about the alleged incident and the subsequent investigation. That’s led a School Committee member to actively challenge this lack of transparency.

»Via Wicked Local

In March, committee member Carrie Kourkoumelis filed a records request to Superintendent Cyndy Taymore in order to uncover more information about the investigation, the report stated. Committee members were initially told about the OCR notice in a February executive session, the report added.

Taymore denied the request, citing attorney-client privilege and the state’s deliberative process exemption, the report stated. But on July 8, the state’s supervisor of public records ordered the district to either produce the requested records in 10 days or thoroughly explain the legal reasons why it doesn’t have to, the report added.

In response, Taymore again cited attorney-client privilege for not fulfilling two of the records requests, the report said. The superintendent also said records for another request didn’t exist, the report added.

Ultimately, the only request Taymore completed was to turn over a copy of the OCR investigation notice, the report stated.

“Specifically, the complaint alleges that in the 2013-14 school year, a middle school teacher made derogatory remarks to one of her assigned students, directed at the student’s race,” the Notice of Investigation stated, according to the report. “The complainants also reported that the District has failed to adequately respond to reports and/or complaints about the remarks. They maintain that the lack of response continues to subject students to a racially hostile environment.”