Mother of Student Targeted By Alleged Racist Bullying at Southwick School Speaks Out
By Wesley Days, Photojournalist: Andrew Evans and Abigail Murillo Villacorta Published: Feb. 20, 2024 at 3:33 PM CST
To watch the video report click here.
SOUTHWICK, MA (WGGB/WSHM) — We’re hearing from the mother of the Black Southwick student who filed a complaint after she said her daughter faced racially charged bullying at the regional school, including what the NAACP called an online “slave auction” where white students could ‘bid’ on their black classmates.
Allyson Lopez’s daughter, who was also named in the NAACP complaint, is a student at the Southwick Regional School.
These incidents of racial discrimination against this young lady have been happening for months. In a month that’s supposed to celebrate black history, this family is trying to understand how this could have happened.
“She’s respectful, she’s kind hearted beyond what you would think a 13-year-old would be,” expressed Allyson Lopez.
Allyson Lopez and her daughter have more than your typical mother/daughter relationship, they’re close friends.
“She’s my confidante and we share a lot right, but at the same time, she will take on a lot of people’s weight because she wants to be that person of support,” added Lopez.
That heavy weight, now being felt by Allyson.
She said her daughter endured a lot since being at Southwick Regional High School from derogatory racial remarks to the very latest incident just weeks ago, an online slave auction where Allyson’s daughter was placed on a fictional sale block.
Our conversation with Lopez on Tuesday came just days after a push from the Greater Springfield NAACP to investigate those claims of derogatory racial remarks, including use of the N-word being hurled at the young student and claims of an online slave auction where white students could bid on those black students.
“It was called ‘black lives ral’, the l stood low class or low. But, it was $2 to $4 a bid,” explained Lopez.
Fast forward 36 hours, we heard from officials in the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District, including Superintendent Jennifer Willard, who said:
“The district investigated the situation in accordance with its established policies and protocols. As of Friday, February 16, 2024, the district concluded its investigation; however, due to strict laws protecting student privacy, we are unable to comment on the specific disciplinary consequences and/or other steps taken by the district.”
School Committee Chair Robert Stevenson also said in a statement, “I want to express that we firmly believe that racism and discrimination have no place in our school community.”
But Allyson highlights a problem with that investigation….
“They have conducted an investigation, first and foremost Wesley, my daughter has not been investigated, they haven’t spoken to my daughter.”
Allyson told Western Mass News her daughter only spoke with one of the assistant principals at the school when they first reported this incident.
Lopez has a meeting with the superintendent on Thursday but as she prepares for that conversation.
She looks back to when she decided to send her daughter to the school, through a parent choice program….Her daughter was apprehensive.
“My response was, it’s going to be okay right, this is 2023, you’ll be fine,” said Lopez.
Now, in 2024, with several incidents of racism to contend with Allyson is dealing with the pain of the past.
“I know she had her little bit of apprehension at first, but I truly think she went for me and I hurt for that,” expressed Lopez. “As moms, not only black moms, we think we can make the final decision for our kiddos and sometimes we need to listen. And I didn’t listen when she said I’m not sure about this. I didn’t listen and I should’ve listened.”
The Hampden District Attorney’s office has also launched its own investigation into these incidents and promises to hold the proper people accountable.
When we asked Allyson, what she would first ask the superintendent on Thursday she said, why did it take so long to investigate?
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