Families pulling children out of Seneca Valley School District amid claims of racial harassment
Parents in the Seneca Valley School District are speaking out, saying that the district is not doing enough to address racial bullying and that's leading to some taking drastic measures, including moving out of the district.
Some of those families said they didn't have a choice but to make what is a tough decision.
On a weekday afternoon, instead of being at school, the Latham children were at home with their parents.
"Just this past Tuesday, we notified the school that these kids won't go back," said Amanda Razzano-Latham.
Razzano-Latham and Kevion Latham said their three children have been subjected to racial slurs and discrimination at the Seneca Valley School District for years.
"Now it's come to the fact that they will not do anything so I have to take my kids out of school," said Kevion.
They sent an email to the district last week pointing to racial harassment, emotional trauma, and the district's alleged, repeated failure to protect their three children.
Their son Adrien is a third-grader at Ehrman Crest Elementary and said that kids were calling him "the N-word, monkeys" and other offensive names.
The Lathams said Valentine's Day was the last straw when their fifth-grader Aveana, who was enrolled at Ehrman Crest Middle School, had an encounter with her classmates.
"When they call us and ask for the N-word pass, I'm like, there's no reason to just say that in the middle of class," Aveana said.
According to a July 2024 letter from the school district's attorney, "The district has investigated all allegations of racial comments directed at Amare and Adrien and where appropriate, has implemented its student disciplinary policies."
One of the six incidents mentioned involved racially-charged text messages sent to Amare's phone from his basketball teammates last year. It's an outside team not related to the school, but several players are in the district.
"I'm scrolling and looking at the text messages and it went from negro to you can only cook fried chicken, go get back in the field and pick cotton to you're a monkey," said Kevion.
The letter said the district has a restorative practice session with the students and their parents.
In another incident at school, Amare said he was called a monkey by the same students in the group chat. The administration interviewed and instructed them on the history of the word monkey and its negative impact in addition to disciplinary action.
It turns out, the Lathams aren't the only ones. Other parents tell KDKA their children of color have also experienced racial bullying and harassment, saying their children dreaded going to school.
At the end of last school year, Amy Millward removed her 17-year-old from Seneca Valley High School and said she plans to do the same with her 13-year-old who is in the 7th grade.
"When you're at one of the biggest school districts in Western Pennsylvania and I can count on one hand how many teachers or faculty, it's not diverse at all up there, and they are doing nothing to make these children feel safe," said Millward.
We reached out to the district and in an email response from the district, a spokesperson said they take every report of racism, bullying, and discrimination seriously and it's not tolerated in schools. They also said any claims that it condoned or failed to address reports of racial bullying are inaccurate.
"I am not pegging the school district that they're all racist," said Carmen Garcia.
Garcia said she believes that every case is different. She has two children in the district, one in the middle school and the other at Seneca Valley Intermediate High School. She said they've also had negative experiences but she doesn't plan on transferring out.
"My kids are like, 'Whatever, they're ignorant, they're dumb,'" she said. "I think there should be more programs [to address it]."
The school district declined a request for interview with the superintendent and directed us back to their statement.
"We have and will continue to investigate every complaint we receive involving racism, bullying, and discrimination," their statement read. "When violations of our policies are confirmed, appropriate action will continue to be taken."
"Many of the white friends and family we have are shocked to hear this is what's happening and it's all quiet," said Amanda Razzano-Latham. "I've asked Seneca Valley, I've pleaded with then, we are friends, we are good community."
The Lathams have said they're taking legal action against the district and in the meantime, their children are enrolled in cyberschool.
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