Douglas County mother takes fight for racial justice in schools to Colorado Capitol

After a month of advocating outside the Douglas County School District, a mother will take her fight for racial justice in schools to the state Capitol. Every day of Black History Month, Lacey Ganzy placed a blue flower outside DCSD headquarters.

"Some people really honked their horns in support, but we also got a lot of thumbs down some cars putting the middle finger up," said Ganzy.

Her two daughters, and her son Jeremiah, whose experience of racism at Castle Rock Middle School started Ganzy's fight, rallied beside her.

"I think the hate motivates these kids. They really protested with all of their hearts this month," said Ganzy.

Now they're turning to the state Capitol.

"We learned of a bill that we were unaware of, which actually is everything we've been advocating for," said Ganzy.

SB 23-296, passed in June, aims to prevent harassment and discrimination in Colorado schools, by improving reporting systems and offering training to staff.

"It just makes sense. It just says 'Hey, if you do this there's consequences for your actions, and there's education behind it,'" said Ganzy.

Ganzy says the bill provides the clear distinction between a hate crime and bullying that she's been pushing for.

Schools have until July to begin implementing training. Ganzy is calling on the Douglas County School Board to do so sooner.

"You're crying out. And it was nice to see we had their attention, but there's still no acknowledgment or even a response to my family or anyone in the community," said Ganzy.

Douglas County School District says they are reviewing policies in line with the new law, and that: "DCSD disputes that administrators either facilitated or permitted harassment and discrimination of African-American students to continue at school or otherwise tolerated a racially hostile educational environment. Numerous reasonable responsive actions were taken within the extent of school administrator authority."

Lawmakers are currently considering another bill, SB24-162, that would develop best practices for schools to respond to discrimination. Ganzy plans to speak in favor of it to lawmakers at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

"Should this bill pass, what is the safety net for those students throughout the state of Colorado to ensure that we're not falling through the cracks the way that my children did?" Asked Ganzy.

And as for Jeremiah, the boy whose voice started it all, he's not backing down any time soon.

"He's just brightened up so much and he has this passion to continue his fight," said Ganzy.

Read the full statement from DCSD:

DCSD strongly condemns harassment and discrimination of students based on their disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, family composition, religion, age, national origin, or ancestry. Such conduct has no place in schools. Regular and ongoing trainings are provided for staff and students on how to prevent and respond to such conduct. 

A pending lawsuit from the 2022-2023 school year includes allegations of student harassment and discrimination. DCSD disputes that administrators either facilitated or permitted harassment and discrimination of African-American students to continue at school or otherwise tolerated a racially hostile educational environment. Numerous reasonable responsive actions were taken within the extent of school administrators' authority to address the specific incidents of harassment and discrimination that were brought to their attention. 

February was Black History Month and as it does annually, the school district recognized this milestone in newsletters, on social media, and at the February 13 Board of Education meeting. In 2022, DCSD added Juneteenth to its list of paid days off for staff. In addition, DCSD recognizes the amazing contributions of Black Americans throughout the year as we teach history, art, music, and other subjects. 

The safety and well-being of all students is of paramount importance, and we are committed to ensuring that all students have full access to educational services, opportunities, and benefits.

While DCSD already maintains anti-discrimination and harassment policies that largely track the requirements in the new Colorado state law (Senate Bill 23-296), we continually review current Board policies in light of the new legislation to further advance the safety and well-being of all students.