HARTLAND, Mich – The Hartland, Michigan School District has announced an agreement with the United States Department of Justice has been finalized.
The agreement comes after the district says it was notified through a social media post of a concern regarding racial discrimination occurring at Hartland High School.
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The following is the letter to parents from Superintendent Chuck Hughes:
Department of Justice Update: In the Spring of 2021, the district was notified through a social media post
of a concern regarding racial discrimination occurring at Hartland High School. Since this time, the district
has worked cooperatively with the Michigan Department of the Office of Civil Rights, and the United States
Department of Justice (DOJ). This cooperation resulted in reaching an agreement with the DOJ to meet
prescribed expectations during the 2022-23 school year, including creating and reporting all incidents that
involved discrimination. The district completed this process with due diligence during the 2022-23 school
year. In the Spring of 2023, the DOJ informed the district that they were going to continue to monitor
discrimination with a specific emphasis on racial discrimination. Currently, we are awaiting additional
guidance. There is a clear understanding that we must continue to track and report incidents of
discrimination to the DOJ.
What does this mean for students and families in the school district? This means that if your child is a
victim of discrimination or accused of being discriminatory, the district will create an incident report. The
incident report will include the summary of events, staff involved in the investigation, actions taken, and
any follow-up (discipline, education, discussions, etc.). These incident reports must be provided to the DOJ.
The reports may be used to follow up with the victims and their families. As the district continues to
educate students and families about the appropriate way to treat others, understand that a poor choice to
engage in inappropriate discrimination is unacceptable. Students and parents will be notified that the
incident will be reported to the DOJ. Please help the community and schools to welcome all individuals
regardless of background. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and civility, without exception
Parents spoke out about this agreement during a school board meeting Monday evening.
Some parents spoke out against the agreement with the Justice Department concerned about student privacy.
“What does the DOJ do with these reports? How long are they kept on file? Some students are 18-year-old legal adults and these reports could impact their life opportunities”, Parent Angela Yarber said.
Yarber also asked about specifics about the Department of Justice agreement saying parents as to how it is being carried out.
“We deserve more than this vague and sloppy communication sent in the weekly school update,” says Yarber.
in 2021 a Hartland Senior spoke out saying she endured racial harassment and was allegedly told she ‘should be lynched’
WDIV-TV in Detroit covered the story here at this link.
WXYZ-TV reported on the story below:
You can watch the entire school board meeting below:
