In Puyallup, Washington, schools are making efforts to be more attentive to the perspectives of minority students, which is seen as a positive change.
Cynthia Dunn’s daughter, Victoria, has experienced teasing and name-calling from her classmates at her elementary school due to being biracial. However, the situation escalated when Victoria returned from vacation in 5th grade with a tan, and her teacher made a racially insensitive comment about her appearance in front of the class. When Dunn sought help from the school’s principal, she was told to address the issue with the teacher, leaving her feeling frustrated and unheard. Dunn remembers feeling angry and helpless, not knowing where to turn for support. She tearfully told her daughter that she would have to deal with these challenges as a part of life in Puyallup.
Dunn soon discovered that she was not alone in facing such obstacles. Many other parents also encountered difficulties when attempting to address complaints about racial discrimination and harassment in the rural Puyallup district during the 1990s. This prompted Dunn and 58 other parents, students, and former students to file a racial-discrimination lawsuit against the district in January 2000. The lawsuit threatened to stir conflict and divide the already fragile social fabric of Puyallup.
E. Susan Gourley, the district superintendent who took office 18 days before the lawsuit was filed, immediately initiated negotiations for a settlement. Gourley aimed to resolve the case swiftly, allowing the district to take control over improving the situation rather than leaving it in the hands of the courts. It took two years, but eventually, an agreement was reached with all parties involved. The settlement not only included $7.5 million in damages for the families of the plaintiffs but also brought about significant changes in various aspects of the district’s operations, including hiring, curriculum, and athletics.
Now, after years of struggle, Gourley and others in Puyallup are witnessing positive changes. Instead of avoiding difficult issues, district leaders are eager to showcase the progress they have made. Gourley believes that the Puyallup settlement can serve as a model for other school systems facing similar challenges in race relations. She intends to be transparent about the district’s progress and hopes to inspire other communities to address these issues openly.
Puyallup, located thirty miles south of Seattle and east of Tacoma, was historically a blue-collar, rural farm town. However, the town’s reputation changed when real estate prices skyrocketed in nearby cities during the 1990s. Puyallup became known for its affordable land, which led to rapid development and increased racial tensions in the community. Currently home to around 100,000 residents, the town has experienced significant growth, resulting in heavy traffic, strip malls, and ongoing development. The demographic composition of the schools is still predominantly white, with African-American and Hispanic students accounting for about 3% and 4% of the enrollment, respectively. The remaining students are American Indian and Asian.
In addition to addressing tough issues, district leaders are enthusiastic about showcasing their schools and the positive changes they have implemented. Puyallup has a strong tradition of sports excellence, with alumni often leaving generous contributions to the local high school in their wills.
“The children we were interacting with were a reflection of a community in the process of growing up,” she remarks. “Some of them came to us with closed-mindedness and limited knowledge of the world.”
“There are some negative attitudes,” she continues. “However, the majority of the children lack sophistication in their understanding.”
Quinn asserts that she took disciplinary measures seriously and always asked the students involved if incidents were racially motivated. On every occasion, she recalls, the answer was no.
She references a well-known incident in which a white student wore blackface for a yearbook photo. According to Quinn, this occurred when a large group of students was waiting to have their photo taken on the football field. As they grew impatient, the students began painting each other’s faces with tar used by the football players. The student in question, Quinn explains, was unaware that his face had been painted completely black and did not realize the offensiveness of this to African-Americans.
Although experiencing the lawsuit was not something she desired, Quinn believes that it will lead to change and increased awareness in the Puyallup schools. “It is an uncomfortable method of attaining it, but often, learning is uncomfortable,” Quinn remarks. “If we strip everything away, we all want the same thing.”
Gourley, who became superintendent three years ago after serving as an assistant superintendent in Salem, Oregon, was unaware of the lawsuit’s details at the time of her hiring. However, she accepted the position because she had witnessed similar issues in other districts and wanted to take the initiative in addressing them.
Even after Gourley participated in settlement negotiations, it took over two years for a federal mediator, the plaintiffs and their lawyers, and the school board, district officials, and their lawyers to reach an agreement. The final product was approved by a federal judge in September of last year.
The settlement consists of two parts. The first part involves a $7.5 million cash settlement, which was negotiated and paid by a risk-management pool for Washington districts.
Among the 59 parents, students, and former students who filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the district in January 2000 was Cynthia Dunn.
Connelly, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, declines to provide specific details on how the money was distributed. However, he states that each of the 34 students involved should have enough money for college and, in some cases, more. He takes pride in the outcome because, according to him, racial discrimination claims are becoming more difficult to argue after recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Edwin C. Darden, the director of the National School Boards Association’s Center for Urban Schools program and a lawyer for the New York School Boards Association, believes that the settlement should serve as a reminder to local districts to promptly address such incidents. He acknowledges that the amount is quite large but suggests that the circumstances are exceptional. While Puyallup officials claim to have an anti-discrimination plan in place, Darden suggests that "it seems as if the district wasn’t as vigilant as they should have been" in enforcing it. According to him, most school districts have anti-discrimination plans and are committed to enforcing them diligently.
For Gourley, the most significant aspect of the settlement is that the district worked collaboratively with the plaintiffs to craft a resolution. “Our aim was not to find something that would simply make the problem disappear for us,” she asserts.
She will also act as the mediator for the community and the district; most importantly, she will oversee the settlement and issue an annual report on the district’s adherence to it. Instead of adding extra responsibilities, Gingrey wants to incorporate offerings that promote diversity into the existing curricula. The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory in Portland, Ore., will also review all policies related to the settlement.
In January, students at Puyallup High organized an assembly to discuss Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. Some minority students shared their heritage and experiences. Branden Hubbel, a senior who is Native Hawaiian, spoke at the event and emphasized that while everyone is different, no one should be judged based on their appearance. "Many people can recite the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech by heart," Hubbel says. "But it’s not just about being told the information, it’s about actually thinking about it." Katie Wilson, another 12th grader and one of the organizers of the event, believes the assembly had an impact on her peers. She notes that assemblies can often be rowdy, but in this case, the students were respectful and genuinely seemed to listen to the speakers. Now, she is helping plan events for students with disabilities to share their experiences.
Despite these positive reports, it is evident that some students and local residents have mixed feelings about the lawsuit and its settlement. Several teachers and students at Puyallup High defend their school and community, asserting that they do not believe the school or town to be racist and questioning the necessity of the lawsuit. They also argue that the schools were already taking steps to raise awareness of diversity issues before the settlement. "Filing a lawsuit did attract a lot of attention, but there are other ways to achieve that," says Rhyan Sweem, a senior at Puyallup High.
"A lot of the community felt like we gave up… without thoroughly examining all the issues that should have been explored."
– Marjorie Hobble
Laurie Pruden, a world-languages teacher who supports the diversity policies, believes that some of the individuals targeted in the lawsuit were unlikely to have committed racial insensitivity. She explains that around 100 teachers gave depositions in the case, causing concern that they had done something wrong. "It wasn’t about overt racism," Pruden says. "It was simply about things they hadn’t discussed before." Others have voiced their opinions more strongly. Hans Zeiger, a Puyallup High senior and community activist associated with Renew America, the conservative political group founded by former Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes, challenges the district’s new policies. He suggests that the emphasis on diversity will detract from the schools’ educational mission and will only highlight racial differences instead of bringing people together. "The message should be about our similarities rather than diversity," he asserts.
Within the community, there are also individuals who are upset that the case was settled for such a large sum of money, and so quickly, even though the funds did not come directly from their pockets. Marjorie Hobble, a local activist, wishes that some of the issues raised in the lawsuit had been addressed in court. "A lot of the community felt like we gave up… without thoroughly examining all the issues that should have been explored," she says. She questions why some of these issues were not dealt with at the time, as there are always problems to be solved in schools. The plaintiffs and their lawyers still perceive lingering hostility surrounding the settlement. Gwen Thomas, the lead plaintiff and a mother of seven, was harassed by Puyallup residents and subsequently moved away, according to Connelly. Cynthia Dunn, Victoria’s mother, fears that Superintendent Gourley will be pressured to resign. Lynette M. Crout, another plaintiff, explains that her 14-year-old biracial son, who was also teased about his race by teachers and peers, has been doing well in Puyallup schools since the lawsuit was settled. However, she worries that he has become less enthusiastic about school as a result. "It changed him," Crout shares. "We can’t regain those years, we can’t go back and undo the damage. He never should have had to experience that."
