A middle school student's mother has filed a lawsuit against a school district, alleging racial discrimination and harassment by a teacher. The complaint was filed by Krystal Moses on behalf of her daughter J.M., in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York on August 26, 2024, naming the Uniondale Union Free School District and several individuals as defendants.
According to the complaint, J.M., an African-American student at Lawrence Road Middle School (LRMS), experienced persistent racially-charged comments and hostile behavior from her sixth-grade teacher, Irene Gilbert, during the 2022-2023 school year. The lawsuit details numerous incidents where Ms. Gilbert allegedly made derogatory remarks about J.M.'s appearance and unfairly singled her out for punishment. According to court documents, in one incident, Ms. Gilbert publicly scolded J.M. for another student's actions and belittled her in front of classmates.
The complaint states that the situation escalated when Ms. Gilbert reportedly told her class that she did not focus on Black History Month because there should be months dedicated to "white history" and "blue history." This prompted J.M.'s father to meet with school officials on April 18, 2023, to discuss the racially charged environment. Despite assurances from Superintendent Monique Darrisaw-Akil that an investigation would be conducted, no effective action was taken to address the hostile environment.
The plaintiffs claim that after this meeting, Ms. Gilbert retaliated against J.M., causing further emotional distress and anxiety about attending school. The complaint alleges that the school's administration failed to provide adequate oversight or take necessary steps to prevent such behavior despite being aware of Ms. Gilbert's history of similar conduct.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages for emotional distress and other harms suffered by J.M., punitive damages against individual defendants, attorney's fees, and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Representing the plaintiffs is Gregory Paul Mouton Jr., Esq., from the Law Office of Gregory P. Mouton Jr., LLC. The case has been assigned Case ID 24 CV 5932.