Local News

‘Cotton picker’: Student alleges racial bullying at Brookline school

The school failed to address the bullying after a classmate knelt on the student's neck to reference George Floyd's murder, the complaint said.

A Black student at the Lawrence School has endured racial harassment by classmates. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff)

By Molly Farrar

July 29, 2024 | 7:38 PM

A Black middle school student is alleging school officials in Brookline failed to address racial bullying after the student was called a “cotton picker” and a classmate mockingly reenacted George Floyd’s murder, according to a civil rights complaint filed last week.

MC Henry is a 14-year-old student who recently completed eighth grade Amos A. Lawrence School, where between December and April, they experienced racial harassment, according to a federal civil rights complaint filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights.

“I want justice — not just for my child, but for every other student. I want everyone to collectively do better,” said Ricardo Henry, M.C.’s father. “Brookline schools have a culture of subjecting Black students to an unsafe learning environment. School administrators need to be held accountable.”

About six percent of Public Schools of Brookline students are Black, according to state data.

In a statement to Boston.com, PSB Superintendent Linus Guillory said the district is still reviewing the complaint.

“The Public Schools of Brookline condemns hatred and racism in all of its forms. Racism and discrimination run contrary to the values of our school district,” his statement read in part.

‘Cotton picker’ and ‘George Floyd re-enactment’

MC was called a racial slur after they tried to help someone pick up dried cereal, the complaint alleges.

“I don’t want your help, you cotton picker,” MC’s male classmate said in December, according to the complaint. At the time, MC told their teacher and discussed the incident with a school counselor, and according to the complaint, MC understood the comment as a derogatory slur.

MC’s parents then requested a meeting with the parents of the student who made the comment “to be able to convey to them the harmful nature of their son’s slur,” the complaint said.

While the school counselor said they would facilitate the meeting, it was never held. The male student was instead instructed to apologize, the complaint said. The complaint claims that school staff failed to discipline the student or hold him accountable.

“The only step they did take –– to tell the perpetrator to apologize –– was exceedingly minimal, and arguably harmful,” the complaint said. “A forced ‘apology’ trivializes the severity of racial bullying, suggesting that the harm is minor, and that the victim is at fault if they do not immediately forgive the conduct.”

While in a music class in April, MC tripped and fell, according to the complaint, when a white student put his knee on MC’s neck and exclaimed, “George Floyd! George Floyd!” in reference to a Black man murdered by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020.

According to the complaint, the student pressed his knee “forcefully” until a friend intervened. MC was “traumatized” and revealed the incident to their parents two weeks later, who contacted a school counselor.

“The re-creation of such circumstances is unconscionable and constitutes severe harassment that is objectively repugnant. This constitutes a violent physical attack,” according to the complaint, which emphasized the toll of the incident on MC’s mental health.

Lawrence Principal Vanessa Bilello told MC’s parents the school would take action, the complaint said, including meeting with the perpetrator’s parents.

Ricardo Henry then included the superintendent after the school hadn’t taken any action for a week, the complaint said, and received no response for two more weeks. Someone from the district then reached out and acknowledged the school’s “inadequate response,” the complaint called it.

The complaint asks the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to review the district’s policies regarding race-based bullying, issue a finding that they violated MC’s civil rights, ensure future compliance, and create policies to protect vulnerable students and for victims to report racial bullying.

“Racial bullying in our schools is unacceptable. Every child is entitled to a safe, inclusive environment free from discrimination,” said Mirian Albert, a senior attorney with LCR. “We must hold our educational institutions accountable and take immediate action to ensure justice and equity in education. Our children’s futures depend on our unwavering commitment to these principles.”