Ellensburg Schools Race to Appoint Latinx Liaison, Consultant

Time is finite in Ellensburg, where the school district has at most a couple of months to appoint both a Latinx liaison and racial equity consultant, according to this Daily Record report.

Back in December, KPQ reported on the district's agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to resolve a probe into allegations of pervasive harassment and discrimination. (At a school board meeting the month prior, Superintendent Troy Tornow confirmed that an agreement was imminent.)

Under the terms of the settlement, the district must retain a consultant by April 1. DOJ insists on being apprised of every step in the process, and only department-approved candidates will be considered.

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What's more, DOJ reserves the right to veto the district's chosen consultant. If it comes to that, the district has 15 days to propose an alternative.

"Once hired," writes the Daily Record, "the consultant will sign a 'Memorandum of Understanding' with the district describing how they will help the school administration implement the specific provisions of the agreement. At least 21 days to executing the MOU, the district will provide a copy to the Justice Department for review."

"Besides a consultant, the district must also designate a liaison for Latinx families by April 1. This liaison must be fluent in Spanish and have competency in conducting community outreach, according to the document. The liaison will support Latinx students and parents, including attending public events and initiating new events for the Latinx families."

"Their contact information must be prominently displayed on district and school websites and included in all Spanish-language versions of school- and district-wide communications. The liaison will produce an annual report regarding the district’s effort to liaise with Latinx families."

"They will report to the superintendent, and the district will provide them with a financial stipend specifically for the position."

These two hires notwithstanding, the district is required to undertake a panoply of reforms, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington: "designating a district coordinator to oversee the effective resolution of reports of harassment...creating a new electronic reporting system to track and manage all reports of harassment and the district’s responses to such reports; [and] updating policies and procedures to ensure the district responds promptly and effectively to all reports of harassment and provides appropriate support services to affected students."

The preceding investigation, conducted jointly by DOJ's Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, revealed endemic harassment of Black, Latino and LGBTQ+ students, including slurs, taunts and even physical assaults.

"Black students faced frequent use of the N-word and other racial slurs by their classmates," writes the U.S. Attorney's Office. "Latino students were openly subjected to epithets like 'beaner,' 'wetback' and 'mixed-breed'; and LGBTQ+ students endured widespread, ongoing and severe sex-based harassment by their peers, including gendered slurs, public graffiti and intimidation."

The district's response was perceived by some as inadequate, "leading some [students] to miss class, drop school activities, avoid areas of campus and even transfer or leave school altogether."

The DOJ probe was launched at the outset of the 2023-24 academic year "under Titles IV and VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The department reviewed records from the 2021-22 through 2023-24 school years and interviewed over 100 people, including current and former students, employees and parents." The district was fully compliant with investigators, but its awareness of ongoing harassment was deemed lacking.

Moreover, all students and faculty will receive training on how to "identify and report harassment."

Also on the agenda are mandatory surveys and listening sessions with students, parents and faculty - implemented as part of an "annual climate assessment." This will help the district "identify and respond to harassment trends and concerns in the school community."