CASTLE ROCK | Exactly one year after Black students at Castle Rock Middle School were targeted in a racist group chat, Jeramiah Ganzy and his family took to the front lawn of the Douglas County School District building in protest. The family said they are disappointed that the district has not strengthened anti-hate policies to protect marginalized students from harassment in the future.
The Ganzys are one of three families suing the district over its handling of Snapchat group messages where Black students were called slurs, threatened and harassed. The suit was filed in August 2023.
“I believe that our protesting and everything we’re doing out here can’t go unnoticed forever,” Jeramiah said. “School is a place for every person, every race, to learn and we should not feel oppressed in a place of learning.”
Lacey Ganzy, Jeramiah’s mom, said she is coming to the district building every day throughout this month for an hour of silence and planned rallies at the start and end of the month.
The Ganzys chose February because the group chat was created last year to denigrate Black History Month.
“We’re standing in silence because we’ve heard nothing but silence from the school district,” Lacey said.
Ganzy said she hopes the efforts to bring awareness back to the topic of discrimination in schools will stir the school board to create a policy specific to hate crimes and hire a student advocate for students who report them.
“I think it’s not a lot to ask for and I think they’re completely capable of doing it,” she said.
More than 25 others from around the metro area joined the Ganzys in solidarity during a gathering on Feb. 1, carrying posters and standing for a moment of silence while Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech played over speakers.
Community members are also leaving blue flowers at the district building to show support for the Ganzys.
Jeramiah said he is thankful for those standing with him and hopeful for change.
“It feels great to know that people support our message and we’re not completely alone,” he said.
Jeramiah first reported the Snapchat messages in March of 2023 through an online feedback form, but the Ganzys say the district didn’t respond until they spoke publicly about the racism at an April 2023 school board meeting.
During the meeting, Superintendent Erin Kane denounced the behavior.
“I want to make it really really clear that racial slurs are not OK,” Kane said.
In a statement, the district’s public information officer, Paula Hans, said the district takes racial discrimination very seriously and encourages students to report discrimination to the school administration or the district’s Compliance Office.
District policies prohibit bullying, discrimination and harassment by students and staff.
“Our focus is on taking care of each and every one of our students in the Douglas County School District,” Hans said. “Racial slurs and discrimination are absolutely unacceptable in our district.”
The Ganzys feel the policies don’t go far enough in differentiating between bullying and racism and lack protection for students who report discrimination.
Hans said that district policies don’t define crimes, which is the responsibility of the Colorado Criminal Code.
“We take every concern very seriously as we are dedicated to ensuring that all of our students experience a welcoming and caring environment in our schools,” she said.
It’s great to see the outpouring of support for them. Thankfully the few who participated in the racist chat are greatly outnumbered by those who want the best for all.
Racial Discrimination happened every where by lack of strong and qualified leaders.
No solution
these students are learning to be racist at home!! the parents are teaching this, lord help the babies.