Oklahoma school district cited for indifference to students’ civil rights
The U.S. Education Department reached an agreement with an Oklahoma school district this week to address repeated instances of discrimination and sex-based harassment of students – with little intervention by staff – that surfaced after the death of a nonbinary 16-year-old in February.
Among federal investigators’ findings in Owasso’s public schools: A teacher had been grooming female students on social media, and multiple students in both lower and higher grades were subjected to repeated sex-based slurs, harassment and physical assault.
“The district’s response to some families’ sexual harassment reports was deliberately indifferent to students’ civil rights,” the department said in announcing the findings.
Federal officials began investigating the northeast Oklahoma district after Nex Benedict died a day after being rushed to a hospital following a fight in a high school bathroom. Though the death was later ruled a suicide, the sophomore’s grandmother said Nex had been the subject of “relentless” bullying and slurs and criticized school administrators for not summoning police or an ambulance after the altercation.
The death prompted vigils locally and nationally. LGBTQ+ groups in Oklahoma, a conservative state where lawmakers and the head of public schools have targeted LGBTQ+ rights, protested in Owasso and outside the Capitol in Oklahoma City. A national LGBTQ+ advocacy group, Human Rights Campaign, asked federal education officials to look into possible civil rights violations.
The federal investigators did not name Nex in their findings, but they described the circumstances before and after the student’s death. Nex’s relative told them that the harassment was reported to a school counselor last fall but that the school didn’t respond. After the bathroom fight, officials told investigators they were unaware of the previous claims of harassment.
As part of the agreement reached this week, district officials will now inform parents of any students affected by sexual harassment about the support available to them and how to file a complaint under federal Title IX regulations.
Owasso school officials also agreed to issue antiharassment and nondiscrimination statements; to review and if necessary revise the district’s Title IX policies; to provide training on compliance to district staff and students; and to conduct a survey on sexual harassment in the district.
In a letter sent this week to families, district officials said the system “is committed to fulfilling the requirements of the Voluntary Resolution Agreement with the utmost seriousness and care, as we believe every student has the right to learn in an environment free from discrimination and harassment.”
The steps that now would be taken, the letter continued, “will enhance the safety and inclusivity of our school community.”
The district maintained that the federal investigation was triggered by “inaccurate information,” but said officials understand the importance of complying with Title IX. The agreement reached with the federal education department, it noted, “reaffirms our dedication to fostering a nondiscriminatory and harassment-free environment for all students and ensures the district will continue to receive federal funding which is critical in supporting and serving our students.”
Benedict’s grandmother and her attorney did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
Some LGBTQ+ advocates said they were glad to see the district held accountable.
“Owasso School District failed Nex Benedict and many other vulnerable students under their care. The evidence shows that officials were well aware of the hostile climate in their schools, yet repeatedly chose indifference and inaction when confronted,” Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said in a statement. The outcome sends a message, she added: “Trans and non-binary students have worth.”
Yet Nicole McAfee, executive director of the nonprofit Freedom Oklahoma, was skeptical Friday about whether Owasso officials would be forced to follow through, given the state’s hardline-conservative schools superintendent, Ryan Walters, and the incoming Trump administration.
“There’s a hope that they will engage the community in a meaningful way,” McAfee said, but “there’s a lot of wariness when we think about implementation of this agreement under a new administration.”