$1.3 Million in Settlements for Racial Harassment at Athletic Event

Kneupper & Covey has recently obtained $1.3 million in settlements on behalf of a Washington high school athlete who was subjected to hours of racial harassment at an interscholastic event with no intervention from the coaches present.

If you or a family member has been subjected to discrimination, racial harassment, or other civil rights violations by a school district or government entity, contact Kneupper & Covey today for a free evaluation of your potential claim. Kneupper & Covey has a civil rights team that is particularly interested in cases in Washington State. Call 657-845-3100 or use the contact form on our website.

Settlement Background

The case, which involved a game between Camas School District and Vancouver Public Schools, illustrates how state and federal civil rights laws can provide meaningful accountability when school officials fail to address severe racial harassment and other acts of discrimination.

The incident occurred during an interscholastic athletic event between the two school districts. During the athletic event, athletes from Camas School District racially harassed an athlete from Vancouver Public Schools for over three hours. Despite racial slurs and other harassing behaviors being audible to both teams and spectators, Camas coaches did not stop, interrupt, or acknowledge the behavior. Nor did coaches from Vancouver Public School who were repeatedly informed by their athletes about the racial harassment. Following the game, Vancouver Public Schools failed to provide necessary emotional and educational supportive services to the victim.

Both school districts had a long history of failing to stop or appropriately address racial harassment, including similar acts of racial harassment at previous interscholastic athletic events.

Caitlin Skurky at Kneupper & Covey served as lead counsel on two separate cases against each school district alongside co-counsel from Cedar Law. She spent over four years fighting tirelessly alongside the family to hold both school districts accountable and create systemic change to prevent future harms, and supported the family with two successful complaints to the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice which ultimately resulted in both school districts making policy and training changes.

What state law allows civil rights claims against school districts?

This case was in Washington, and under Washington law, school districts have clear affirmative duties. Chapter 28A.642 of the Revised Code of Washington prohibits discrimination in public schools on the basis of race, color, and other protected characteristics and requires districts to adopt policies and procedures to address it. And the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD), codified primarily in RCW 49.60, further bars discrimination in places of public accommodation and educational settings and provides a private right of action for damages, including emotional distress.

School district policies themselves—such as those addressing nondiscrimination and harassment, intimidation, and bullying—implement these statutes by requiring prompt investigation, interviews of the complainant and relevant witnesses, review of prior complaints, findings on whether policy was violated, notice of appeal rights, and corrective measures designed to remedy the impact on the targeted student. When staff know or reasonably should know that severe, persistent, or pervasive discriminatory harassment is occurring, the district must take prompt and effective steps reasonably calculated to end it, prevent recurrence, and remedy its effects.

What federal law allows civil rights claims against school districts?

This case was in Washington, so if your case is in another state, it will have different state law. But federal law imposes parallel obligations. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq., prohibits race, color, and national-origin discrimination in programs receiving federal financial assistance—including public school districts. Recipients must not only refrain from intentional discrimination but also respond adequately to known severe or pervasive harassment that creates a hostile environment.

Civil rights claims against government entities often rest on these statutes plus common-law theories such as negligence and negligent supervision. A school district can be liable when its employees fail to exercise reasonable care in supervising students or staff, particularly where prior incidents put the district on notice of a risk. The tort of outrage (intentional infliction of emotional distress) may also apply when conduct is extreme and outrageous and causes severe emotional harm.

Washington’s constitution and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment reinforce the principle that government actors may not discriminate on the basis of race or allow known discrimination to continue unchecked. While many education cases proceed primarily under state law (as this one did), federal claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 can sometimes be available against individual officials or municipalities for constitutional violations when a policy, custom, or deliberate indifference is shown.

Why should you consider filing a lawsuit if your civil rights have been violated?

Civil rights litigation of this type serves dual purposes: compensating the person harmed and creating practical incentives for institutions to change practices. This was a big victory, and with settlements in the $1.3 million range, school districts (and their insurance companies) have a heavy incentive to stop this kind of thing.

In this case, for full disclosure, around $360,000 of the settlements went to attorney’s fees and costs. That’s normal, and ordinarily Kneupper & Covey’s fees are either one-third of the recovery or the court awarded attorney’s fees, whichever is higher.

Not every case produces a large recovery—outcomes depend on the specific facts, the strength of notice, the adequacy of the response, and the applicable limitations periods—but the legal framework exists precisely because government entities, including school districts, can’t just ignore racial harassment at sanctioned events.

Similar claims arise in other settings: denial of medical care or failure to protect in jails and prisons, discriminatory policing, unequal treatment in public programs, and retaliation against those who report discrimination. In each context, the core questions are whether protected characteristics were involved, whether officials knew or should have known of the problem, and whether their response was reasonable and effective.

Kneupper & Covey has attorneys experienced in civil rights lawsuits. The firm evaluates potential claims at no charge and handles appropriate cases on a contingency-fee basis, so clients ordinarily do not pay hourly fees in advance. Statutes of limitations are relatively short in many civil rights and tort claims, and early documentation of communications, videos, medical or academic records, and witness information can be decisive. You do not need to determine on your own whether the facts are “strong enough”; that is the purpose of a free case evaluation.

If you believe a school district, government agency, or public official has subjected you or a loved one to racial harassment, discrimination, or a related civil rights violation—whether on the athletic field, in the classroom, in a facility, in jail, or elsewhere—reach out to Kneupper & Covey.

Call 657-845-3100 or submit the form on our website. A member of our team will review the information and follow up. We handle matters in Washington and other states where our attorneys are licensed, and we coordinate with co-counsel as needed to practice elsewhere. Free initial consultations are available.