ELK GROVE, Calif. — The family of a 12-year-old Elk Grove student who was forced to undress and change for P.E. outside after being banned from the girl's locker room is filing civil rights complaints against Elk Grove Unified School District administrators.
Heather and Charles Washington brought their complaints to the Board of Trustees in October. They have since filed a formal complaint calling for the removal of the principal and the vice-principal.
"My daughter with no other options had to change outside on the blacktop," said Heather Washington. "In front of the locker room in public view. My daughter was humiliated and degraded."
The Washingtons said they still don't have a clear answer as to why their daughter was banned from the girl's locker room at Albiani Middle School. They believe school administrators unfairly targeted her for her race, even questioning her sexuality.
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After the humiliating incident, the student's ban from the locker room was reversed and the disciplinary action was overturned.
In the aftermath, her parents say administrators retaliated. Now, they say nepotism in the district continues to harm their child's civil rights.
The vice principal is the daughter of a trustee. District officials confirm the familial relationship, also saying they take the complaint seriously though they cannot comment on the investigation.
District officials released a statement saying in part, "If a future matter before the School District Board of Education involved a board member's relative, the board member is required by law to abstain from any discussion or action regarding that matter."
Full statement from the Elk Grove Unified School District is available below.
Your request involves a parent complaint on behalf of their child and a pending independent complaint investigation. Student complaints and personnel matters are confidential and no additional information can be shared by the District regarding a particular complaint and investigation. The District takes seriously and investigates employee complaints consistent with law and board policy. Based upon the findings of an investigation, and if warranted, the District takes appropriate action.
School board members have a constitutional right to freedom of speech and association. The District has no jurisdiction or knowledge regarding the friends of Board members. If a future matter before the School District’s Board of Education involves a board member’s relative, the board member is required by law to abstain from any discussion or action regarding that matter. Neither law nor policy prohibit the District’s employment of board member relatives. Nonetheless, Board members are required by law to abstain from discussion and action that may uniquely address their relative. This would include any employment action. Specifically, EGUSD Administrative Regulation 4112.8, EGUSD Board Bylaw 9270, and California Education section 35107 direct board members to abstain from acting on matters uniquely involving a relative. Further, Board Bylaw 9200 provides the following: “Individual members of the Board, by virtue of holding office, shall not exercise any administrative responsibility with respect to the schools or command the services of any school employee.” With regard to Ms. Couchot, she is a relative of Mr. Forcina.
Based upon these provisions, if there is a future Board agenda item that specifically addresses an individual board member’s relative, such board member must abstain from participating in any way regarding any board discussion or action that may uniquely affect the employee who is the board member’s relative.
