Park City family sues school district, former superintendent over alleged racial harassment

The Park City School District offices on Kearns Boulevard. A family has sued the district and former Superintendent Jill Gildea, alleging officials failed to stop repeated racial harassment of two students. Photo: TownLift // Rayne Moynahan

Complaint alleges two Black students endured repeated racial slurs and that district officials failed to stop the harassment

PARK CITY, Utah — The parents of two Black students have sued the Park City School District and former Superintendent Jill Gildea, alleging district officials failed to stop repeated racial harassment after the family reported it.

Kelly and Ryan Bullett brought the complaint in Utah’s 3rd District Court on behalf of their minor children, identified in court documents by their initials. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages.

The complaint alleges the students experienced repeated racial slurs and other race-based harassment while attending Ecker Hill Middle School and Treasure Mountain Junior High between 2021 and 2023. Their parents allege they repeatedly notified school and district officials but that the conduct continued.

The family contends the harassment caused emotional distress, anxiety, and fear of attending school and required continuing treatment.

The lawsuit brings claims under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits race and national-origin discrimination in federally funded programs. It also alleges violations of the students’ constitutional right to equal protection and claims the district failed to maintain adequate practices and training for handling racial harassment.

The complaint relies in part on a March 2024 investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

That investigation addressed seven complaints involving student-on-student harassment at Ecker Hill, Treasure Mountain and Park City High School during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years.

Federal investigators documented more than 180 reports of incidents involving race, antisemitism, sex or disability. The report concluded that accumulated racial, antisemitic and sex-based harassment created hostile environments that limited some students’ access to education.

The Office for Civil Rights also found violations of federal Title VI and Title IX regulations tied to the district’s response after it had notice of harassment. The district entered into a resolution agreement intended to address the violations and other compliance concerns.

The federal report noted that the district disciplined some students and took broader steps, including training administrators, communicating with families and creating schoolwide programs. Investigators nevertheless found that some responses were insufficient to stop the harassment or prevent it from recurring.

The lawsuit alleges those shortcomings harmed the two students and seeks damages for emotional distress, lost educational opportunities, treatment costs and other losses.

Park City School District said it does not comment on pending or imminent litigation. In a statement, the district added that it is “a welcoming community where learning is personal, and every path is possible for all students.”