Department of Justice Reaches Settlement Agreement with Colorado School District to Address Racial Harassment and Discrimination

The Justice Department announced that it has entered into a comprehensive settlement agreement with the Falcon School District 49 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to resolve complaints about the district’s response to racial harassment and discrimination in its schools.    

The agreement will continue for at least three years and replaces a settlement agreement reached by the parties in 2010 which addressed similar issues. The agreement requires the district to take affirmative steps to eliminate and prevent racial harassment and discrimination in schools.  Specifically, the district agrees to:

• revise its policies and procedures on harassment and discrimination;
• maintain adequate records of all incidents of racial harassment and discrimination;
• analyze incidents of racial harassment and discrimination to ensure that all incidents are properly identified, investigated, and resolved;
• train staff in preventing and responding to harassment and discrimination;
• provide training to students to prevent and address harassment and discrimination;
• include restorative justice techniques and positive behavior interventions and supports in the district’s disciplinary responses to incidents of harassment and discrimination; and
• hire a consultant to identify any additional measures the district should take to effectively address, prevent, and respond to harassment and discrimination.

“We applaud the Falcon School District 49 for working cooperatively with the Department of Justice to resolve this matter and ensure that all students can attend school without fear of harassment or discrimination from their peers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Molly Moran for the Civil Rights Division.

The enforcement of Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex and religion in public schools, is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.  Additional information about the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt.