A federal civil rights case is now pending against Addenbrooke Classical Academy in Lakewood, Colorado, after a former student said racial harassment at the public charter school went unanswered, according to Atlanta Black Star. Jaylen Davis was 16 and a sophomore in 2025 when, according to his complaint in U.S. District Court in Colorado, white classmates began targeting him because of his race. Davis says the situation later reached a boys’ restroom wall, where his name appeared under graffiti that included “slave auction” and “Blacks for sale.” He and his mother, Jozette, reportedly decided he would not come back for his junior year. He is 18 now and has asked for a jury trial. The lawsuit describes remarks and stereotypes directed at him during the school day, along with students touching him and his hair without consent. It says he had been a good student with no disciplinary record. He found the conduct “unwelcome, offensive and threatening,” the complaint says. Complaints to the principal and executive director came before the restroom writings One episode in the complaint involves a video of a character in a Burger King hat shouting, “Throw the n—- off the plane.” Davis says white students later wore Burger King hats in class and replayed the scene in front of him. A white classmate also handed him a stress ball shaped like a monkey, and another said he would “return to” Kentucky Fried Chicken when he died. A separate student asked whether he “sagged.” The filing says that the word means wearing pants low enough to show underwear and “is associated with Black culture.” From January through April 2025, both Davis and his mother reportedly went to Principal John Byrne and Executive Director Ric Netzer more than once. Both administrators are apparently white, and the family asked them to stop the bullying. Those complaints were never investigated, and nothing was done to protect Jaylen, the lawsuit claims, even though district policy called for action. Davis’ attorney, Steven Murray, told Colorado Public Radio, “Essentially, what they did, they protected the interests of the white students that were doing the harassing. They were not disciplined.” By early May, the filing says, the harassment of Davis and other Black students had grown worse. Davis learned of racist and threatening graffiti in the boys’ restroom only after a white student, Jesse Jerome, showed him a photo on May 5, 2025. Jerome’s pictures, later verified in an affidavit, captured lines that included “Slave auction,” “Blacks for sale,” and “Rape some N—–s.” Davis’ name sat under the writing, the complaint says, with the names of “four other male students of color.” Staff had already found the graffiti, according to the lawsuit, and locked the restroom except between classes. Davis and his mother were not told about the wall or about threats of racial and sexual violence. After seeing his name, he was “upset, afraid and felt threatened,” called his mother, and left school with her that day. The next day, Byrne allegedly said the graffiti had been painted over and that “the boys” had been given “some strong words of warning.” The complaint says he also “contradicted himself” by saying the school did not know who wrote it. Ms. Davis told him her son would not be comfortable at the end-of-year awards ceremony, where he was supposed to receive an achievement award. The family still had no name for the writer, no word on discipline, and no account of steps meant to protect Davis or stop a repeat, the lawsuit says. They concluded that coming back in the fall “was neither safe nor reasonable.” With no car and “no other school was within reasonable reach,” he started an online program “without classmates, live instruction, sports, clubs, activities, or a social life.” That shift, the complaint says, cut off friendships, social development, a stronger academic and extracurricular record, and teachers who might have mentored his classwork, guided college applications, and recommended him for college or jobs. The filing accuses the school of “deliberate indifference” to a hostile educational environment. Officials knew about the semester of peer harassment and the graffiti naming him, it says, and still did not investigate, stop it, discipline anyone, or “take action to protect Jaylen … or to stop the harassment from continuing.” Title IX claims in the case focus on the failure to tell Davis or his mother about the rape threat, the failure to investigate the graffiti right away, and the lack of protective measures. The complaint also says the school, Byrne, and Netzer violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by taking no reasonable corrective action after they personally knew about the complaints and, later, the graffiti. Both men are named individually. The filing says they set aside written rules on threats, bullying, harassment, and graffiti, “consciously acquiesced in the harassment and were deliberately indifferent to it,” and cannot claim qualified immunity. Davis is seeking compensatory damages for the lost junior year on campus, missed extracurriculars and the academic and career chances tied to them, lost peer relationships and social development, and “all related emotional distress, pain and suffering and future economic harm.” He also wants punitive damages against Byrne and Netzer “to punish their conduct and deter others.” Addenbrooke and Jeffco Public Schools issued a joint statement through the district communications team. The complaints don’t stop at graffiti, as a Missouri mother says her 14-year-old son was bruised over a backpack, prompting a racial discrimination lawsuit. The school said it had not been formally served but knew of a press release about possible legal action. “Addenbrooke Classical Academy remains focused on maintaining a safe, supportive, and virtuous learning environment where every student can thrive. We will address this legal matter through the appropriate judicial channels,” the school wrote. The statement added that the school and the district adhere strictly to all federal and state anti-discrimination laws. SchoolDigger.com lists about 200 students in the high school: 57% white, 34% Hispanic, 5% identifying as two or more races, 3% Asian, and less than 1% Black. Racist incidents in schools have drawn scrutiny elsewhere, such as when Florida students held up a black doll to mock an injured Black volleyball player. Once the defendants receive the complaint and summons, they have 21 days to respond in federal district court.