Lawsuit claims teen was racially harassed for years at prestigious Southern California private school

A family is suing a prestigious Southern California school, saying 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 grades.

Since enrolling in 2018, the teen said he has faced racial harassment and emotional torture from his classmates.

In one case, students allegedly held a mock slave auction in the cafeteria, where they debated how much the black student would be worth, according to court documents.

In another incident, his colleagues 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 like a punch in the chest because these are people close to me,” the teen told KTLA’s Chris Wolfe. ‘But it’s just terrible to hear. Why me? What have I done?”

The teen said he was constantly targeted and mocked with racial slurs. Some bullies even reportedly downloaded a mobile app that made a knocking sound and played the audio when a black student walked by, the victim said.

Court documents show the teen “felt forced to wait until the hallways were clear and felt unsafe in the common areas, often choosing to eat lunch in the classrooms to avoid harassment.”

His family said the vice principal was aware of the problems and took the teenager aside one day to discuss an upcoming lesson in American history that would cover slavery.

The assistant principal reportedly said the subject would be “difficult” and warned the victim that there were some “pranksters” in the class who might say something inappropriate and advised him to “brace himself,” according to court documents.

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 in which they were targeted based on racial stereotypes,” the lawsuit alleges. “As this brutal behavior went unchecked, it created a toxic atmosphere in which racism became normalized and students felt empowered to see how far they could terrorize (the victim) and other Black students. This brutal behavior went unchecked, creating a toxic atmosphere at Oaks Christian School 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 made aware of the alleged racial harassment on Oct. 27, 2023.

After an investigation, administrators permanently removed three students from the school.

“Over the course of the past year, the school has regularly checked to ensure there have been no other concerns or incidents involving the student who brought the matter to the school’s attention last year,” the statement said.

Administrators said they 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 per year. The institution has a notable list of famous alumni, including the children of Will Smith, Wayne Gretzky and Joe Montana.

The victim’s family said they hope their continued efforts will create a major cultural shift on campus.

“The culture of intolerance and racism prevails at school,” says the victim’s mother. ‘I really sympathize with those who have not spoken out like my son. I’m very proud of him. He is very brave.”

“I want to see a whole cultural change,” the teen said. “I want to see an effort to promote an inclusive and Christian environment for all.”

The teen, who is a senior this year, said he plans to stay on campus to finish out 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 that are 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.”

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