A former Layton High School student has filed suit against the Davis School District (DSD) and one of the coaches alleging harassment and racial discrimination. Ebony Davis, who is now a student at Weber State University, alleges that her basketball coach, as well as other students, made racist remarks almost daily. 

The district has been the subject of other civil rights cases, including one in January brought by a former district employee.

According to a district report, during the 2019-2020 academic year, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) pursuant to authority under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, initiated an inquiry in DSD to assess claims of prevalent racial harassment, discrimination, and hostility towards Black/African American and Asian students in its schools. The DOJ found the school district “deprived students of equal protection by (1) responding in a clearly unreasonable manner to widespread, pervasive race-based harassment of Black and Asian-American students by both students and staff that created a hostile environment and of which it had notice; (2) subjecting Black students to harsher, more frequent discipline than white students who engaged in similar behavior; and (3) denying Black students the ability to form student groups.” In short, the DOJ found that DSD acted with “deliberate indifference" regarding the treatment of Black and Asian-American students.

As part of a settlement agreement, the district had to meet certain requirements and promise to “take all necessary and reasonable steps, consistent with Federal law to end racial harassment, prevent its recurrence, eliminate any racially hostile environment that currently exists in its schools, programs and activities and remedy its effects.” 

According to the suit, Davis started playing basketball on the varsity team her junior year at Layton High and was a “rising star in the program.” Davis also had good grades and she was enjoying school and being part of the team. 

However, the suit describes Davis, who is Black, of African American – Hispanic descent, as having endured racist, demeaning remarks ever since junior high. “Being called the ‘n’ word while walking to class in the hall, having a student turn off the lights in the classroom and shout ‘oh, where did Ebony go!’; having students touch her hair without permission and having students ask for an ‘n-word pass’ so that they could supposedly use the n-word in addressing her without recourse.”

Davis alleges that her basketball coach, Robert Reisbeck who is named in the suit, would often make comments about her that were racially charged and demeaning. “For instance, when Coach Reisbeck asked the team to line up tallest to shortest he would commonly remark in front of Davis’ peers that her hair does not ‘count’ toward her overall height.” Davis said in the suit that Reisbeck would call out during scrimmages, “Oh look, I put the only Black girl on the white team.” 

Davis said she experienced such anxiety as a result of Reisbeck’s behavior that she wanted to quit basketball. To save herself from the embarrassment of quitting the team, Davis deliberately allowed her grades to slip so that she would be taken off of the team. 

An assistant coach who was aware of the repeated negative remarks by Reisbeck reported his behavior to an Assistant Principal. The suit alleges that “the Assistant Principal deliberately did not relay the report to the District’s Office of Equity, as required by the district’s agreement with the DOJ.”

After the report made it to the Office of Equity, it found that Reisbeck had “intentionally engaged in racial harassment against Ms. Davis,” the suit said. On May 21, 2024, the District gave Reisbeck a written reprimand and a transfer to a different position.

A publicly-shared Effectiveness Assessment Report was given to the Davis School District Board of Education and parents of students in the district in July of 2024. According to the district, it was to showcase the progress that has been made while highlighting the ongoing efforts by the district. The report can be found at https://5il.co/2t774.

 The district provided this statement: “Davis School District continues to prioritize safety and belonging as it is foundational to a child’s emotional and academic development. We stand firmly against any form of harassment or discrimination in our schools. A single student experience with harassment is intolerable and contrary to our mission, and we take those reports seriously. 

While we acknowledge there is continuous work to be done, we have established processes and systems in place, which are overseen by our Office of Equal Opportunity, to investigate and address bullying and harassment systematically. We are committed to taking necessary and appropriate steps to provide a safe environment for all students, free from all forms of harassment and discrimination.”

Attorneys for Davis are seeking a trial by jury and undisclosed punitive damages. λ