A Des Moines family is suing Des Moines Public Schools for allegedly failing to protect their child from racist harassment.
The lawsuit, filed May 19, alleges a third-grade student at Cowles Montessori School was repeatedly subjected to racist slurs and insults by classmates during the 2024-25 school year. The Des Moines Register is not naming the plaintiffs to protect the identity of their minor child.
According to the complaint, the child repeatedly informed a teacher of the harassment and the teacher either took no action or instead responded by comforting the harasser. The child’s parents met several times with school administrators and were told the incidents were not racial. They said the administrators offered to move their son to another classroom and, in their view, blamed him for the harassment he received.
The parents said in the suit they later learned their son had been told to engage in “peace talks” without adult supervision with students who had racially harassed him.
Cowles administrators allegedly admitted the race and appearance of the child responsible for the harassment played a role in the lack of discipline, the lawsuit claims.
Ultimately, according to the complaint, the parents removed their son from Des Moines schools due to the ongoing discrimination and lack of action from officials. The lawsuit alleges negligence, educational harassment and more, and names the district, since-resigned Superintendent Ian Roberts, and other district employees as defendants.
Attorney Chris Stewart, representing the plaintiffs, declined to comment. Schools spokesperson Amanda Lewis declined to comment on the pending litigation but said the school district “is committed to providing a safe and respectful learning environment where every student is treated with dignity and respect.”
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Family sues Des Moines Public Schools over alleged racist bullying
Reporting by William Morris, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By William Morris, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
