A Las Vegas mother is suing the Clark County School District, claiming her son endured nearly two years of racial abuse, including one student allegedly telling him he was “too black” to step foot in O.K. Adcock Elementary School.
Jessica Orta, the mother of the child, filed the federal lawsuit on September 22 after speaking about the issue in January before the Clark County School District Board of Trustees, according to 8NewsNow.
Orta claims her son, I.B., a boy of Asian and African American descent, was targeted with verbal and physical attacks by classmates beginning in fall 2023 because of his race.
She said the bullies called I.B. the N-word, and that reporting the incidents to teachers and staff only served to escalate the abuse.
“CCSD, for almost two years and across two classrooms, tried the same unreasonable and ineffective steps and the actions failed to eliminate the racially motivated attacks and unsafe learning environment,” the suit states.
Orta also included examples of other phrases allegedly hurled at her son, including, “Your skin is burnt by the sun;” “You’re too black;” and “You eat 15 buckets of fried chicken every day,” among others.
“The harassment continued in the ’24-’25 school year. Another boy from the same friend group escalated the abuse starting the year by barring my son from entering the school, saying that he was, quote, ‘too black to come inside,’” Orta said in the suit.
The lawsuit names eight CCSD staff members, including the school’s principal and a trustee.
Orta alleges that administrators allowed her son to remain in class with a known bully, enabling continued racial harassment, and that the assistant principal of the school dismissed concerns by noting one of the bullies “is Black too.”
The Independent has contacted Orta’s attorneys and the CCSD for comment.
Orta is seeking monetary damages, although the amount is not specified in the lawsuit. She is also asking the court to issue orders requiring CCSD to reform its practices to ensure a safe and non-discriminatory learning environment.
I.B. no longer attends O.K. Adcock Elementary School.
