Press Release: Court Orders Effingham County School District to Turn Over Documents

Last week, a federal court ordered Effingham County School District to stop improperly withholding key documents in a lawsuit filed by former and current students alleging pervasive racial discrimination in the district.

The order comes after a lengthy process in which the district refused to hand over many documents requested by plaintiffs, including documents related to incidents of discrimination by district teachers. The ACLU of Georgia and co-counsel at the law firm Troutman Pepper ultimately had to file a motion to force the production of the evidence. The court found that the district was "flagrantly disregarding their discovery obligations" as to some documents, and withheld other documents by improperly "attempt[ing] to recast" plaintiffs' allegations to be narrower than they are. The court ordered the district to comply with the law and provide the documents by November 4, 2024.

"We are hopeful that this order ends the school district's improper withholding of relevant documents and allows us to move forward with the case and with addressing the pervasive racism experienced by our clients and other Effingham students," said Cory Isaacson, legal director, ACLU-GA.

Background:

The lawsuit was filed June 23, 2023, on behalf of Effingham County School District (ECSD) students who, along with other Black students in ECSD, have experienced racism, violations of their freedom of speech, and a hostile educational environment. The plaintiffs allege their complaints about racist acts and racial discrimination fell on deaf ears for years. The actions and lack of response by the district and its officials violate the students' First and Fourteenth Constitutional Amendments, as well as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

The defendants in the lawsuit are ECSD, Supt. Dr. Yancy Ford, South Effingham High School (SEHS) Principal Dr. Torian White, Effingham County High School (ECHS) Principal Amie Dickerson, and Effingham College and Career Academy (ECCA) Principal Brigid Nesmith.

The lawsuit seeks a trial by jury and requests that the Court find in favor of the plaintiffs and require ECSD to meaningfully engage with and rectify the alleged conduct.