A mother says the Santee School District offered to pay her to drive her students to another district in response to her claim they were being bullied at Cajon Park Elementary.
Voice of San Diego reports that Shelly Monroe, who is black, has filed a complaint with the district describing more than a dozen incidents of name-calling and harassment including racial slurs directed at her children beginning in 2014.
Lei-Chala Wilson, attorney and former president of the San Diego branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is representing Monroe. Wilson said she faxed a letter to the superintendent of the Santee Elementary School District on Monday requesting a meeting to discuss the settlement agreement in the next two weeks.
"[Monroe's] only request was ... some sensitivity training, some bullying training," Wilson said. "So she was just looking to make sure that this does not happen again."
She added: "You can't really change people's behavior but at least they could have shown that 'we're taking your concern very seriously, and this is what we can do.' It may not have solved the problem but it doesn't look like they did it at all and that's why it's still a problem."
In an emailed statement, the superintendent told Voice of San Diego:
“We care about all children, and we want them to feel safe at school. To that end, we currently have a variety of programs in place to promote acceptance, inclusion and kindness.”
The Santee Elementary School District did not respond to KPBS' request for comment.
Wilson said if the school district does not agree to meet with Monroe, they will pursue legal action.
The Facebook group "STAND UP for Cajon Park Teachers and Administration!" was started in March after an anti-bullying protest was held outside the school. The group, which is not open to the public, has 843 members.
The group administrator, Lu Magneta, wrote in the group description, "If you have or have ever had children in the Santee school system, than (sic) you know just how hard our teachers work to provide a caring and safe environment for our children to learn and thrive in."
Voice of San Diego reporter Rachel Evans discusses the story on KPBS Midday Edition Tuesday.
