St. Louis, Missouri – The Missouri Attorney General, Andrew Bailey, has initiated an investigation into the Hazelwood School District following a disturbing incident where a St. Louis teen was brutally assaulted by another student. Bailey expressed concerns about the district’s DEI programs and safety protocols, which may have contributed to the failure to prevent the violent attack.
Bailey’s office emphasized the necessity for Hazelwood to clarify the impact of their radical programs and safety deficiencies in this case. The investigation will focus on determining whether the district violated Missouri’s Human Rights Act, guaranteeing residents freedom from discrimination and full access to public facilities.
In a letter to Hazelwood School District Superintendent Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart, Bailey raised alarm over the district’s adoption of a “Statement of Solidarity” in 2020, leading to policies that categorized students by race, influenced hiring practices based on race, and reevaluated the relationship with local law enforcement. These actions have drawn criticism for prioritizing divisive racial ideologies over student safety.
Furthermore, Bailey highlighted the removal of uniformed police officers from Hazelwood schools in 2021, following failed attempts to subject school resource officers to DEI programming. The absence of these officers during the recent attack on a student underscores concerns about compromised student safety due to the district’s policies.
The attorney general demanded that the school district provide records related to bullying, anti-bullying efforts, student violence, the decision to remove law enforcement, and anti-discrimination policies. Bailey emphasized that the district’s promotion of DEI and exclusion of law enforcement may have directly contributed to the violent incident and endangered the school community.
Fox News Digital reached out to Hazelwood East High School and the district for comment on the investigation, with no response yet. Bailey called for the suspect in the assault to be tried as an adult and potentially charged with murder, depending on the severity of the offense.
A lawyer representing the victim, identified as Kaylee, disclosed that she suffered a fractured skull resulting in brain bleeding and swelling, remaining unconscious. The investigation seeks to shed light on the circumstances leading up to the brutal attack and hold the school district accountable for any lapses in safety and discriminatory practices.