A Vermont school district’s inadequate response to serious and widespread harassment

 A Vermont school district’s inadequate response to serious and widespread harassment of Black and biracial students has led to a settlement agreement with the federal government. The department’s Civil Rights Division and the Vermont U.S. attorney’s office began investigating the Elmore-Morristown Unified Union School District in December 2023 and reviewed records and complaints from the previous three school years. Investigators concluded that students, primarily at the middle school level, faced frequent slurs and racist imagery, including the use of the N-word and displays of confederate flags and Nazi symbols. The Justice Department said the district cooperated fully with the investigation and has already implemented some improvements, including adopting a central reporting system to track incidents. The district also agreed to revise anti-harassment policies and procedures.