DOJ investigates claims of harassment, discrimination in Colorado school district
The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating claims of harassment and racial discrimination in Douglas County School District.
Investigators were delayed by weather but will arrive in Colorado on Monday night. They will stay until Thursday and speak with Douglas County families about their experiences.
Their arrival is something Lacey Ganzy has been waiting for for years.
"I just read it and got really excited. Tears kind of filled in my eyes," Ganzy said.
Ganzy received an email from the DOJ last week confirming its' investigating complaints, "regarding potential discrimination, harassment, or bullying on the basis of race, national origin, religion, or disability, and the District's use of seclusion and restraint against students with disabilities."
On Wednesday, Ganzy and her children will meet with investigators to share their story.
"This is the part that we've been most excited for is really holding this county accountable and the people in it," Ganzy said.
Two years ago, her son Jeramiah reported his classmates were using racial slurs and threatening violence against Black people in a group chat.
"I was seeing people that I've known since childhood talk down on me for how I looked," said Jeramiah Ganzy, now 16 years old.
Ganzy removed her children from the district and has been fighting for change ever since. She organized protests outside district headquarters in February of 2024 to call for change during Black History Month and advocated for the passage of state laws related to how schools deal with harassment and discrimination.
Along with two other families, Ganzy filed a lawsuit against the district alleging they failed to protect students from racial harassment. She says they will have their day in court in December.
"I really thought that, at some point, we would get an apology to any of these kids, and still nothing, and they're still not doing anything to enforce any rules to protect the kids that are in the schools today," Ganzy said. "And that's the troubling part. Someone is going to end up losing their life, or something bad is going to happen."
"It just feels like we're up fighting for the same thing over and over, and the majority just thinks that it's already been solved, like it's a problem we dealt with decades, years ago, but it still exists," Jeramiah said.
In a statement, Douglas County School District said, "Our focus is on taking care of each and every one of our students in the Douglas County School District (DCSD). Any student or parent who has a concern should report it immediately to their school leader or DCSD's Compliance Office. We take every concern very seriously as we are dedicated to ensuring that all of our students and staff experience a welcoming and caring environment in our schools."
The Ganzy family now lives in Arapahoe County.
"As of now, I'm home schooled," Jeremiah explained. "I tried going back to school, but it was hard for me to adjust to the environment."
"I watched my son's sweet 16 by himself. He had no friends left. And, I just, I wish that we would have done something sooner, so that we weren't sitting here today," Ganzy said.
After concluding its investigation, the DOJ may choose to offer a settlement or explore litigation against the school district.
The DOJ email asked Ganzy to spread the word that investigators would like to speak with families about their experiences in the district. Families can contact the investigators by email at Community.DCSD@usdoj.gov or by phone at (888) 394-6317. Ganzy says she knows several families who have been afraid to go public with their stories will be speaking to the investigators.
"My children aren't the same, and that's what life's been like afterwards," Ganzy said. "I think that everyone needs to hear that, and that we need to make the change, so that -- the children coming behind my kids in this district -- no family has to ever go through anything like we did."