Folsom teen reports racial slurs, pulled braids and hateful messages. Was school slow to act?
A Folsom family pulled their daughter from Folsom High School last week after months of persistent racial harassment that they say the school district failed to address.
Aniyha Pier, 15, said she fears for her safety and does not feel comfortable on campus after receiving different variations of harassment and bullying from students in her sixth period class, Success 101.
She said the harassment began in October, when her hair – styled in braids at the time – was pulled by a male student in her class, causing enough damage to force her to change her hairstyle, she said.
Her family reported the alleged harassment at that time, but the school did not move forward with discipline after Pier was not able to identify the student involved, according to the family and an assistant principal.
Pier’s mother, Tiffany Amos, does not believe the attempts in October were strong enough.
“I feel like that was bogus because (they) have a roster of every kid that’s on campus,” said Amos. “If you wanted to find out who this kid was, you know how to go through (rosters) and find out who he is.”
Since then, Pier said she’s been called a racial slur, an animal, and had references to George Floyd such as ‘I can’t breathe’ and ‘Get your foot off my neck’ repeated to her.
Recently, students shared a photo and video on the online messaging service Snapchat that included hateful, racist language intended for Pier.
One caption read “f— u n—-” and the other read “I hate Black people.”
Pier came to tears as she recalled the hurtful things said to her. She said she does not want to return to campus if the students involved aren’t expelled.
“Students always say stuff to me,” said Pier. “Around school I always hear people saying (a racial slur) and stuff like that. People say stuff to me and my friends.”
A spokeswoman for Folsom Cordova Unified School District said officials did not become fully aware of the alleged bullying until last week, although a Folsom High School Assistant Principal Alana Morales said she had some information about the incident in October and attempted to address it.
“I informed both the student and her mother that in order to administer a consequence I needed to know who the wrongdoer was,” said Morales. “However, after requesting and reviewing information with the student and teacher, no individual was identified by face or name.
If she “didn’t have a name to begin an inquiry” Morales said she had few options to help.
School district acts after latest bullying report
The district spokeswoman said officials reached out to Pier’s family after learning of the alleged harassment on Snapchat.
“We are able to share that as soon as administration was informed last Friday, their first course of action was to tend to the well-being of the student who reported this, and school administrators have communicated and met with the family. School and district leadership started an investigation right away, which includes legal due process. FCUSD is committed to applying the most significant disciplinary consequences allowable by the education code, which includes outcomes up to expulsion, and takes acts of racism, hate, bullying and harassment very seriously,” said FCUSD spokeswoman Angela Griffin Ankhelyi.
The district encourages students and community members to report any form of bullying or harassment of any sort to leadership or by completing their online Bullying Report Form.
Amos removed Pier from the school after learning of the alleged Snapchat harassment and said her daughter will not have a set return date “until they can guarantee her safety.”
Diversity in Folsom schools
Last year, according to FCUSD, Folsom High school administrators implemented a Culture and Diversity Student Council with an objective to provide a safe place for conversations and to empower student leadership around issues of equity and inclusion.
The school district also has an Equity Advisory Committee, which includes students, staff, and community members who provide feedback and input on issues of systemic racism and inequities.
“FCUSD encourages open, two-way communication and involvement with our Black students, staff, and families,” said Ankhelyi. “We are committed to fostering a culture and climate where every Black student and staff feel safe and valued.”
Community activist and youth advocate Berry Accius said the district appeared to move slowly in addressing the alleged harassment Pier experienced.
There’s a “lack of urgency,” he says, when it comes to people using racial slurs and more needs to happen to protect Black students on the campus and within the district.
“There should be no reason why any African American student should be bullied, racially harassed, and this kind of vulgar language be in the classroom, and not heavy consequences or penalties happen,” said Accius. “It speaks volumes to how much Folsom High School doesn’t really understand and communicate with not only the community, but with their African American students.”
Pier suggested Black students, herself included, would feel more comfortable if there was more Black representation on campus from teachers, students, faculty, and administration.
Folsom High School has a Black student population of 3.5% on campus, according to their 2020 School Accountability Report Card. Black or African-American people make up 3.4% of the city of Folsom, according to the U.S. Census.
This story was originally published January 30, 2022 at 5:25 AM.
