Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A federal investigation into allegations of race discrimination at a local school district has been resolved.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan says it has resolved its investigation into allegations of race discrimination by Hartland Consolidated Schools.

The Office had initiated an investigation under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act based on a complaint filed by then-student, Tatayana Vanderlaan, and her guardian. It alleged that the District failed to address pervasive race-based harassment of Vanderlaan and other Black students in the district.

Title IV authorizes the Department of Justice, of which the United States Attorney’s Office is a component, to address complaints that a school is depriving students of equal protection based on race, color, and other protected characteristics.

Vanderlaan had posted on social media about repeated incidents she said she endured at the high school, including being called the n-word and being ridiculed about her hair and her appearance. After that post went viral, Vanderlaan said she had to be escorted off campus due to a threat of being “lynched.”

The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office conducted an investigation, which resulted in criminal charges being filed in May of 2021 against three then-17-year-old defendants and a then-16-year-old juvenile. Two of the defendants were charged with stalking, while another was charged with assault and/or assault & battery.

A press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office states the District cooperated fully with the investigation and voluntarily took a number of steps to address concerns that were raised during the investigation.

Those efforts included creating a School Board-level Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee, instituting training for staff and students, revising internal policies and practices regarding the investigation process for allegations of harassment, and adding counseling and social work staff.

The District agreed to take additional steps during the 2022/2023 school year, such as conducting a district-wide climate survey to assess the presence and effect of harassment based on race, developing a plan to address the concerns identified by the survey, and increasing measures to learn of, investigate, and respond to complaints of racial harassment.

U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison said students deserve a safe school environment where they can learn and grow without facing racial harassment. She said “in districts like Hartland, where students of color are only a small percentage of the student body, schools must make an extra effort to ensure that all students are comfortable reporting harassment and other forms of discrimination and be confident that the adults in the building will keep them safe”.

Ison added that they commend Hartland Consolidated Schools for acknowledging their obligations to remove barriers to ensure that all students can fully engage in the educational process.

Superintendent Chuck Hughes told WHMI “The district is pleased that the DOJ worked collaboratively with us to resolve this matter. While there was no finding of ignoring behaviors that we were aware of, we agree that monitoring the culture of our district is always important. We believe that every child deserves to feel safe and supported and will work to ensure this without exception”.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office will review the District’s compliance with the terms of the resolution both during and at the end of the 2022-23 school year. If the terms are found to have been satisfied, it will close its investigation.