ELKHART — The Indiana Civil Rights Commission has ruled that Concord Community Schools is liable for racial discrimination against NyZeria Neely, an African-American student who transferred out of the district after receiving threatening notes on her locker in 2015.
Neely, who was 11 years old at the time, was the target of three racial threats or incidents in just a matter of a few weeks, beginning with being called a racial slur in the hallway and continuing with notes that said, “Watch your back” and “(N-word)s don’t belong!!!”
Her parents, Avonn Pratcher and Gina Neely, decided to bring the situation to the attention of Concord schools administrators. However, they did not believe the school was taking the necessary action to solve the problem.
The family contacted the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, which works with the public on matters dealing with the civil rights laws, in May 2015. After a year of waiting, Pratcher got a phone call in May saying Concord Community Schools is being held accountable for racial discrimination related to the incidents against his daughter.
Once the decision is finalized, Neely’s family and Concord Community Schools need to decide how to move forward.
“We really haven’t gotten the full reports yet. She had called just to brief me and let me know they found (Concord Community Schools) liable… Once we get the full report on what they said and how the decision was made, we are going to move forward from there,” Pratcher said.
Finding who is liable was only the beginning of the end. There are a number of outcomes to how Neely’s family and Concord Community Schools can progress with the situation and move toward a resolution.