A family is suing a prestigious Southern California school, alleging administrators allowed their son, who is Black, to be racially harassed by other students for years.
The victim, identified only as a 17-year-old John Doe, attends Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, a private boarding school that teaches 4th through 12th grade.
Since enrolling in 2018, the teen said he endured rampant racial harassment and emotional torture from his classmates.
In one instance, students allegedly held a mock slave auction in the cafeteria where they debated how much the Black student would be worth, according to lawsuit documents.
In another incident, his peers reportedly threatened to lynch him at a specific time and date.
“I had no idea what it was until someone brought it to my attention and honestly, it was just kind of like a knock to my chest because these are people who I’m around,” the teen told KTLA’s Chris Wolfe. “But it’s just appalling to hear. Why me? What did I do?”
The teen said he was constantly targeted and mocked with racial slurs. Some bullies even reportedly downloaded a mobile app that made a whipping sound and would play the audio when a Black student walked by, the victim said.
Court documents said the teen “felt compelled to wait for hallways to clear and felt unsafe in common areas, often opting to eat lunch in classrooms to avoid harassment.”
His family said the vice principal was aware of the issues and pulled the teen aside one day to discuss an upcoming lesson in U.S. history that would address slavery.
The vice principal allegedly said the topic would be “difficult” and warned the victim that there were some “jokesters” in the class who might say something inappropriate and advised him to “brace for it,” court documents said.
The victim’s family has filed a lawsuit against the school for unspecified damages, saying campus administrators did not do enough to protect students and end the harassment.
“Other Black students reported similar experiences of being targeted based on racial stereotypes,” the lawsuit alleges. “Since this relentless behavior went unchecked, it fostered a toxic atmosphere where racism became normalized and students felt empowered to see how far they could terrorize [the victim] and other Black students.”
In a statement sent Friday, Oaks Christian officials said they were first notified of the alleged racial harassment on Oct. 27, 2023,
Following an investigation, administrators permanently removed three students from the school.
“Over the course of the past year, the school has frequently monitored to ensure there have been no other concerns or incidents involving the student who brought the issue to the school’s attention last year,” the statement read.
Administrators said they had met with the victim’s parents several times and no further incidents have been reported to the school since the October 2023 report.
According to the Los Angeles Times, tuition at the school costs about $42,000 a year. The institution has a notable list of celebrity alumni including the children of Will Smith, Wayne Gretzky and Joe Montana.
The victim’s family said they hope their ongoing efforts will inspire a major cultural shift on campus.
“The culture of intolerance and racism is prevalent at the school,” said the victim’s mother. “I really feel for those who didn’t speak up like my son did. I’m very proud of him. He’s very courageous.”
“I want to see an entire cultural change,” the teen said. “I want to see an effort to promote an inclusive and Christ-like environment for everyone.”
The teenager, who is a senior this year, said he plans to remain on campus to finish the school year before graduating and studying business in college.
In the statement released Friday, administrators said, “As a Christian school, Oaks Christian School operates with policies and procedures consistent with Biblical standards and in accordance with a Biblical worldview. Oaks Christian School does not tolerate racism or discrimination among its faculty, staff, or student communities.”
