SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A West Campus High School vice principal is resigning after she was the victim of racist messages in 2021.
The Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) confirmed the resignation will be effective June 17, 2022.
Dr. Elysse Versher, the vice principal resigning, shared her resignation letter with ABC10. In it, she provides multiple examples of graphic racist incidents she experienced at the hands of parents and students and sexual harassments that went unaddressed by school officials.
"I am writing this email after experiencing an unsuccessful suicide attempt and multiple stress-induced seizures due to the consistent racial and sexual harassment I experienced at work," Versher said in her letter.
The resignation comes after a racist incident in November 2021, where she told ABC10 that the district failed to prevent a hate crime on campus. She said that students wrote the "N-word" five times on a wall near her designated parking spot and posted threats on social media.
"After three years of trying to have faith in the District to address the racial and sexual harassment I have experienced, I now know that the District is only interested in protecting its image and not the lives of its employees," Versher said. "I do not have the strength to continue enduring this physically, mentally and emotionally unsafe working environment.
When ABC10 last spoke to her in March, she said she had seen no follow through or accountability.
"It's just been a persistent dragging and sweeping the case under the rug with the district," Versher said in March. "The pain keeps growing the longer the investigation takes place."
In a statement from SCUSD, they said the investigation was nearly done.
"Dr. Versher made complaints of racist acts directed toward her during her employment and the District immediately initiated an investigation into those complaints. That investigation is nearly complete. At this point, out of respect to Dr. Versher and the process, the District will not have further comment until the investigator’s final report is issued. We expect that will happen soon," SCUSD said in a statement.
They continued on to say that they appreciated Dr. Versher's service to the students in the district.
"The Sacramento City Unified School District is committed to providing an environment that is free of racism and harassment for students and staff. We have taken steps to address racism on campuses, including anti-racism training for staff. Sac City will not tolerate racist behaviors and we will continue striving to achieve racial justice," the district said.
Editor's Note: ABC10 has viewed the resignation letter and has chosen not to share it in the story because of its contents.
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