FARMINGTON—The Davis School District announced on Tuesday that it had reached a settlement agreement with the Tichenor-Cox family for $2 million. The settlement comes from a lawsuit filed by the Tichenor-Cox family against the District in 2022 after their daughter Isabella “Izzy” Tichenor took her own life Nov. 6, 2021. 

The Foxboro Elementary fifth grader’s mother, Britney Tichenor-Cox alleged in the lawsuit that her death followed frequent bullying and belittling by other children because of her race and disabilities. Tichenor-Cox said she reported it to the school and the District but felt nothing had been done. 

Prior to Izzy’s death, in October 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a two-year investigation into the Davis School District found serious racial harassment and discrimination of Black and Asian-American students. “The investigation revealed persistent failures to respond to reports of race-based harassment of Black and Asian-American students by district staff and other students,” according to a DOJ release. 

In the settlement agreement with the DOJ, the district had to comply with several requirements over the next five years.

The district released the following joint statement from the District and the Tichenor-Cox family: 

“The tragic loss of Isabella ‘Izzy’ Tichenor in November of 2021 will always impact our community and school. Working together, Davis School District and Izzy’s family have reached a mutual resolution. 

Davis School District is committed to making schools a safe and welcoming environment for all. 

Any form of racism, bigotry, discrimination, or harassment within our schools is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The District encourages anyone who observes a student or staff member being harassed or bullied to report it right away. Reports of bullying will be thoroughly documented, addressed promptly, and appropriate consequences will be administered.

While Davis School District and its staff have made profound and meaningful progress, there is still work to be done. The District is continually assessing and expanding its processes and efforts to better support every student who attends its schools, including implementing trauma-

informed counseling and other resources for its students. The District continues to provide necessary training to ensure compliance with all applicable guidelines and recommendations and is dedicated to creating environments to encourage open dialogue and discussions that promote mutual learning, respect and empathy, free from any undue pressure on individual students. The District is wholly committed to continuing to implement changes to positively impact students, staff and the community.”

The District also reached a settlement of $200,000 in a different matter with Nicole Sieger, Alonzo Liddell, Lisa Liddell and Kimberly Olsen.