FARMINGTON — Davis School District has reached settlements in two matters that had put a bright spotlight on the system and the treatment of students of color in its schools, including the 2021 suicide of a 10-year-old autistic student.

The district reached a $2 million settlement with the family of Izzy Tichenor, the student at Foxboro Elementary in North Salt Lake who killed herself after suffering alleged bullying and neglect, Davis School District said in a message to the media on Tuesday. Izzy’s mother, Brittany Tichenor-Cox, late last year had filed a claim warning she was considering filing a $14.5 million suit in state court against the district.

“Davis School District is committed to making schools a safe and welcoming environment for all. Any form of racism, bigotry, discrimination or harassment within our schools is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” reads a joint statement issued Tuesday by the district and the Tichenor-Cox family. It went on, saying that while district officials “have made profound and meaningful progress, there is still work to be done.”

Separately, the district also reached a $200,000 settlement with the parents of three Black Davis School District students who had sued in federal court, charging that their kids were subjected to ongoing racist taunts and other abuse.

“On behalf of the Davis School District, I would like to extend my sincerest apologies to you, and most especially, to your three children for the unwelcome experiences they had while attending school in our district,” reads a letter from Superintendent Dan Linford. He wrote the letter to the parents of the three kids — Nicole Sieger, Kimberly Olsen and Alonzo and Lisa Liddell — and it was released on Tuesday along with the statement in the Izzy Tichenor matter.

Davis School District has been under intense public scrutiny over treatment of students of color, particularly since the 2021 release of a U.S. Department of Justice report blasting the system’s response to reports of race-based harassment and discrimination. Izzy Tichenor was Black, like the three other students who had charged they faced racism in 2021 and 2022 as students at North Layton Junior High School.

District officials have taken numerous steps to fix the wrongs since the 2021 report, including creation of an online portal, the Harassment, Discrimination Reporting System, to allow reporting of complaints of harassment and discrimination. The system went live at the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

According to the claim filed by the Tichenor-Cox family last year, Izzy’s mother started reporting bullying against the girl in September 2021 but, it alleged, school officials didn’t take sufficient steps to protect the girls. The claim said the girl was subject to racial taunts, violence and teasing about her hygiene.

A subsequent review by a law firm hired by the district found the fifth grader was harassed by Foxboro staff and students over her hygiene but found no evidence she was bullied on the basis of race or disability.

In the case of the three junior high students, the parents filed suit against the district in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City over the treatment they say the students received. Last December, however, a judge ruled the parents couldn’t collect damages under alleged breaches of the 2021 settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice drawn up in response to the federal agency’s critical report, one of the elements of their suit. That December decision seemingly paved the way for the $200,000 settlement.

‘SAFE AND WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT’

The district didn’t delve into legal questions in either of the statements it released Tuesday. However, both contained conciliatory language.

“The tragic loss of Isabella ‘Izzy’ Tichenor in November of 2021 will always impact our community and school,” reads the joint statement issued by the Tichenor-Cox family and the district. The district, the statement continues, “is committed to making schools a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

Though not alluding to specifics of Izzy’s situation, the statement referenced ongoing efforts to create a supportive atmosphere for students. “The district encourages anyone who observes a student or staff member being harassed or bullied to report it right away. Reports of bullying will be thoroughly documented, addressed promptly and appropriate consequences will be administered,” it reads.

The letter from Linford to the parents of the three students who were the focus of the federal suit also referenced efforts to create a supportive atmosphere for kids.

“I am grateful to you for bringing your children’s experiences to our attention. Our primary goal is to make sure that students enter and enjoy a safe, productive and welcoming learning environment. We have not met our goal when student experiences fall short of that standard,” Linford wrote.

Linford went on, noting many of the changes implemented in the district to comply with the settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. The district has created an Office of Equal Opportunity and created an assistant superintendent’s post to focus on equal opportunity issues. He further noted training employees and administrators must receive and the harassment and discrimination reporting system, among other things.

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