Colorado family says 8-year-old experienced racism at school in Douglas County, was told "Black is ugly"

Another Douglas County family has come forward with claims of racism in the Douglas County School District.

For years, CBS Colorado has covered the Ganzy family's experience in the district. Along with two other families, they filed a lawsuit against the district alleging it failed to protect students from racial harassment. They also protested outside headquarters last Black History Month.

Last month, CBS Colorado reported that the Department of Justice was investigating complaints against the district "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."

It is not clear when that investigation will be concluded, but now another Douglas County family is speaking out.

Eight-year-old Mila Walker says she was outside the library at Sedalia Elementary School last month when two boys in her class approached her.

"Two boys that were in the line basically told her ... if your skin is peach color, you're good. If your skin is Black, you're bad. That Black is ugly. So that makes you ugly," said Marissa Brooks, Mila's mother.

Brooks says she was notified via text after school and later got a call from the principal.

"I was the last one to hear about it, which I was really upset about, because I would have liked a chance to come and get her to check on her to make sure she was okay. They put her back in the room with the two boys. Had them apologize, and then she came home, and she was pretty upset," Brooks said. "At first, I was angry. I was really angry, but I was more disappointed that this is something that we're still dealing with this far along in life. It's 2025."

As required by district policy, the school documented the incident in an Equal Opportunity Office report. It states that the compliance office determined the matter was handled appropriately. The consequences the boys faced were redacted.

"Without any repercussions, where do they learn? How do they know, like, what I did was wrong? I don't know the depth of the punishment, but they were back in class the next day," Brooks said, "I feel like it should have been no tolerance. I just feel like there should be like a suspension or something, something to inconvenience the parents, because you inconvenience the parents and they might hold their children accountable."

Brooks wants more accountability and more communication with parents.

The Douglas County School District declined an interview but said in a statement:

"Our focus is on taking care of each and every one of our students in the Douglas County School District (DCSD). Once we are made aware of a concern, we promptly investigate the situation.
In this instance, when we were made aware of the alleged incident, the family was contacted by several different staff members, both in person and over the phone.
Any student or parent who has a concern should report it immediately to their school leader or DCSD's Equal Opportunity 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."

Brooks says she reached out to the Justice Department when she learned of its investigation but never heard back.

"There is no accountability. The school drops the ball when it comes to disciplining the students or educating, or handling everything correctly, even just documenting or communicating with the parents. They do that in multiple situations, not just discrimination. So overall, I feel like that's a culture issue at their schools," Brooks said.

She says the same boy involved in this incident previously made similar comments to Mila. She says she has also been concerned about a lack of communication when her 9-year-old son was involved in fights.

"There were incidents where he would get into physical altercations. I would find out through him, not through the school, and I'd have to call them and ask them, like, what happened? Why are you not calling me? Why are you not telling me these things? And then they tell me everything, and it's like, why didn't I get a phone call? So it just makes me wonder how many other incidents are happening that maybe more or less proactive parents don't even know about," Brooks said.

"When everything happened at school, how did it make you feel?" Brooks asked Mila.

"Sad," Mila replied, "and angry."

Since the incident, Mila's mother says she hasn't been the same.

"She's had more issues lately, just crying in school, not really wanting to do her work," Brooks said. "She doesn't understand why somebody wouldn't like you because of your color. So I tried to explain it, but I think, you know, this is a weird conversation to have with an 8-year-old."

Brooks is planning to remove her children from the district.

"Lift your head up. Don't ever let anybody see with your head down," Brooks said while comforting Mila.

After concluding its investigation, the DOJ may choose to offer a settlement or explore litigation against the school district. A settlement could mandate changes to DCSD policy. It is not clear when the investigation is expected to conclude.

Disability Law Colorado shared more with CBS Colorado about complaints they received related to the district's use of seclusion and restraint against students with disabilities.

At its Jan. 28 meeting, the Douglas County School Board unanimously approved changes to its physical intervention and restraint policies. The updated policy states that restraint and seclusion should only be used in emergencies and cannot be used for discipline or compliance. It mandates training and an annual review for staff who may be involved in these situations.