Kent School District Insurance Rejects NAACP $40 Million Claim

Leslie Knopp, komo news, May 3

KENT—“She’s twisted my arm and handcuffed me many times,” said one student when racism claims against Kent Schools were made public a couple months ago.

The students, all African-American, claim the policy is racist because it’s only used on black students.

A dozen Kent students and the NAACP filed claims against the district for $40 million.

But on Monday the district’s insurance company, the School Insurance Association of Washington, denied those claims, siding with the district’s own investigation, that school security did nothing wrong.

“Having the insurance association confirm our findings gives us even more confidence in those findings,” said Barbara Grohme, Kent Schools Superintendent

But Sakara Remmu of King County’s NAACP says this isn’t the end of the case:

“This is about our children our most precious commodity, our future. We’re not going to let this case go. If they don’t want to hear us in the board room, they will in the court room.”

The NAACP says it will now help the students and their families file lawsuits against the district. They will argue the discipline violated students’ civil rights because it interfered with their education.

“Does the NAACP think that this superintendent and her actions that this school district are racist? Absolutely we think they’re racists,” said Carl Mack of the NAACP.

The district still has an independent review panel investigating. But, while that happens, the district’s discipline policy still stands: security may use handcuffs as a form of discipline, if absolutely necessary.

“I would hope that a better approach than litigation would be to get together and work with these students to be more successful,” said Grohme.