HARTLAND, Mich. (WXYZ) — Tatayana Vanderlaan, a former Hartland High School student, filed a civil lawsuit against the school district this week.
Vanderlaan and her attorney Amanda Ghannam spoke with 7 Action News about the racial harassment she said she endured while attending the high school as a junior and senior. She said it on went "unchecked."
In the lawsuit, Vanderlaan said she "regularly heard racist slurs, racially offensive jokes, and racial microaggressions used openly by her peers in HHS classrooms and hallways."
She states that students "mocked and grabbed at her hair on a regular basis" and that she was the target of lynching threats.
Vanderlaan, who's now 20, said students also used social media and text messages to taunt her while on school premises.
"What all of this had really done was took a big toll on my mental health. It was really, really hard. I struggled with anxiety, depression," she told 7 Action News.
The lawsuit accuses teachers and administrators of being dismissive of her complaints, failing to correct the behavior and telling her she can learn online.
Ghannam explained, "We just filed a lawsuit this week and we've already had a number of emails and phone calls from other parents, other students in this district who also witnessed some of these horrible things and are saying, hey, us too, we'd like to talk about it, we'd like to share with you what we experienced."
She said they've also been "thanking Tatayana for standing up for kids of color in this district."
In March of 2021, Vanderlaan wrote a Facebook post where she aired her grievances. At the time, 7 Action News interviewed her best friend who spoke on her behalf.
As a result of Vanderlaan's complaint, the U.S. attorney's office opened an investigation. In June of 2022, that office said the school district was taking steps to address concerns.
In July of 2021, the Livingston County Sheriff's Office charged four students criminally. However, Ghannam said the school district did nothing.
"The fact that the boys were criminally prosecuted that is, some might say, one form of accountability, but it doesn't address the harms caused by the fact that kids can't get equal access to an education in this school district," Ghannam said.
Vanderlaan said, "I just hope that this lawsuit can really truly make a change and school districts and other school districts will not take the word of students lightly."
