Black teacher suing Beverly Hills USD over racism claims

Black teachers suing Beverly Hills High for racism

Bella Ivory is one of two Black teachers at Beverly Hills High School who is suing the district, saying her reports of racism on campus have gone ignored for years.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - A teacher at Beverly Hills High School has come forward, alleging that her reports of racism on campus since 2022 have been ignored. Now, Bella Ivory is taking legal action with the help of attorney Brad Gage.

"When a school allows racism to flourish, children learn the wrong thing, and that breeds hatred," said Gage, who highlighted several incidents as evidence of the toxic environment at the school.

One video shows a student filming feces on the floor of a bathroom before zooming in on a racist comment scrawled on the wall. Another disturbing clip features two female students mocking Black students in the school cafeteria. "Let's take a minute to appreciate how nice, beautiful, and clean our cafeteria looks right now. Now let's fast-forward to lunch," one of the girls says. The video then cuts to Black students eating in the cafeteria. The girls reappear to comment, "This is disgusting… I'm repulsed."

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"It's clear what it signifies," Gage said. "They are associating the presence of Black students with the cafeteria being dirty. That is the epitome of racism."

Ivory recounted a particularly unsettling incident on Election Day when a group of students wearing MAGA hats and carrying a Trump flag paraded through the school. "They were shouting profanities like 'F*** Kamala,'" Ivory said, referencing Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Black and South Asian descent. "The profanity combined with students congregating in front of my classroom increased my fears and those of the Black students locked inside with me." Ivory said the group attempted to enter her classroom, heightening the tension.

Beverly Hills HS students complain of racism

Students at Beverly Hills High School say they've been the target of racism, including in the lead up and day of the presidential election. One teacher said a mob in Trump gear carrying a Trump flag interrupted her class on election day.

Gage has filed a formal complaint with the Beverly Hills Unified School District on Ivory's behalf. He plans to escalate the case with a lawsuit, citing "discrimination, harassment, retaliation, racial comments, and physical threats." He says the school needs to address these issues adequately.

The Beverly Hills Unified School District has previously stated it is investigating all claims of racism and harassment to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all students.