After State Investigation, Yuba City Unified School District Agrees to Comprehensive Set of Actions to Address Alleged Anti-Black Harassment

SACRAMENTO – The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) today announced reaching a settlement with the Yuba City Unified School District over allegations of severe anti-Black discrimination and harassment at two of the district’s elementary schools. The settlement requires the school district to take a comprehensive set of actions to protect students, including mandatory training for teachers and administrators, parent and school community meetings, and an assessment of the schools’ climates.

“Every single student has the right to feel safe at school,” said CRD Director Kevin Kish. “Teachers, administrators, and other school staff are responsible for helping make that happen. There is no place in our schools for anti-Black harassment or discrimination. I applaud our team at the Civil Rights Department for ensuring the Yuba City Unified School District takes action to protect the civil rights of its students.”

Alleged Bullying and Threats of Violence

In 2024, CRD received a complaint from an individual student and their family against the Yuba City Unified School District alleging violations of the Ralph Civil Rights Act. According to the complaint, the student experienced repeated threats and acts of violence and anti-Black comments by students at two different elementary schools. The alleged misconduct included numerous incidents across multiple school years of students using racial slurs while repeatedly kicking, slapping, or taunting the student who filed the complaint. The complaint also alleged that a teacher pulled the student’s hair and used disparaging comments. Despite the family indicating that they reported these incidents to school officials multiple times, the school district allegedly did not put a stop to the behavior or otherwise take action to make the schools safer for the student and other Black students.

School District Agrees to Take Action

After conducting an initial investigation, CRD provided the school district an opportunity to voluntarily resolve the allegations through mediation. As a result of the settlement, the district, without admitting liability, will take action at the elementary schools, including by:

• Offering mandatary training to all teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators on district policies prohibiting harassment and discrimination, as well as how to address it.
• Issuing written guidance to staff regarding the district’s policies against harassment and discrimination based on protected characteristics.
• Conducting a climate and culture survey to inform staff and student trainings.
• Holding family education nights to share school-specific plans to foster safe and inclusive environments for students, while providing parents with an opportunity to report concerns and share feedback.
• Providing parents and guardians written information about how to report concerns regarding discrimination and harassment or the district’s process for investigating complaints.
• Facilitating monthly small-group counseling classes for all students to have age-appropriate discussions regarding safety and inclusion in school.
• Paying $30,000 in compensation to the family that filed the complaint.

If you or someone you know has experienced hate violence, CRD may be able to assist you through its complaint process. The department also provides general information and factsheets online about civil rights protections, including on the Ralph Act.

In addition, CRD operates CA vs Hate, a non-emergency, multilingual hate crime and incident support line. Members of the public can reach out to get help and find resources in their area online at any time or by calling (833) 866-4283, or 833-8-NO-HATE, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT.

The settlement announced today was secured by Senior Staff Counsel Shilpa Ram. It was mediated by Senior Attorney Mediator Yu-Yee Wu.

You can learn more by reading a copy of the settlement.

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) is the state agency charged with enforcing California’s civil rights laws. CRD’s mission is to protect the people of California from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and state-funded programs and activities, and from hate violence and human trafficking. For more information, visit calcivilrights.ca.gov.

View Press Release (PDF) After State Investigation, Yuba City Unified School District Agrees to Comprehensive Set of Actions to Address Alleged Anti-Black Harassment