Students expelled over bogus 'blackface' claims just taught the school a valuable lesson worth over $1 million

A pair of 14-year-old boys donned acne face masks along with a friend in August 2017. Realizing they looked "silly," they decided to take a selfie — having no idea that a mob of thin-skinned ideologues might jump to conclusions years down the road.

The photo resurfaced in June 2020. It was immediately seized upon as an example of the racism that was supposedly everywhere in the aftermath of the deadly Black Lives Matter riots.

Rather than launch a proper investigation, which would have undoubtedly cleared the boys of any wrongdoing, the teens' school effectively branded them as racists then had them expelled.

"We would never wish the pain, humiliation, and suffering St. Francis has inflicted on our families on anyone," said the Hughes family

Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California, has paid the price for rushing to judgment.

With the help of the Dhillon Law Group, which has represented other minors similarly traduced over racially-charged hoaxes, the teens, Holden Hughes and Aaron Harley, sued the high school with their parents for over $20 million. While ultimately unable to exact the full toll for their malignment, the former students walked walked away this week with $1 million plus tuition reimbursement.

The Los Angeles Times indicated that a Santa Clara County jury sided with the former students who claimed the school breached an oral contract and failed to give them due process before expelling them.

"Twenty percent of our boys' lives have been spent seeing this process come to fruition. But the sacrifice is worth it to clear our boys' names, and to try and make sure that St. Francis can never again assume a child is guilty without giving a child the opportunity to show their innocence. To never again sacrifice any child to protect the school's reputation like they did our boys," the Hughes family said in a statement.

"We would never wish the pain, humiliation, and suffering St. Francis has inflicted on our families on anyone, but we are thankful that the jury has spoken, and vindicated our boys, and forced St. Francis to finally take responsibility for their repeated personal attacks on the boys," added the family.

Background

The original complaint indicated that on Aug. 17, 2017, Hughes and Hartley, then both 14 years old, put on white acne masks that Hartley's mother purchased to help with his skin condition, reported NBC News.

"Believing themselves to look 'silly' in the masks, [Harley] and [a friend from another school identified as Minor III] took a time-stamped photograph of themselves in the masks," said the lawsuit.

The next day, Hughes, Hartley and Minor III instead tried on a light green acne face mask.

"Again, they took a silly photograph in this mask, which had turned dark green by the time it dried on their faces," said the lawsuit.

The boys did not share the image online. However, Minor III shared it to a friend, who ultimately "tagged a music playlist on her Spotify account with a copy of the photograph."

Years later, a student at the school reportedly obtained a copy of the photo, named the students, and insinuated that they had engaged in blackface.

Alicia Labana, a parent originally named as a defendant in the suit, made matters worse by allegedly posting the photo on Facebook ahead of a planned march to protest "outrageous behavior" and to pressure the school to act.

According to lawsuit, the image was condemned by school staff and parents alike and prompted a parent-led protest against the minors.

Jason Curtis, president of the school, reportedly rushed to issue a public condemnation. Absent an investigation into the image, a hearing taking up the accusations or the involvement of the school's review board, Hartley and Hughes were told within 24 hours of the scandal breaking they had to withdraw from the school or face expulsion.

The teens left the school in June 2020 and filed suit the following year.

Hughes reportedly indicated his family had to put up security cameras around their home and pled with the Los Altos Police to execute additional patrols in the area for fear of attacks.

Hartley said his family had to move away on account of the persistent harassment and that he had to complete high school remotely, reported the Post.

Vindicated

The Palo Alto Post reported that a jury of 12 reached their verdict on Monday following 20 days of testimony and three days of deliberation. The boys will receive $500,000 each from the high school and be reimbursed for their tuition, an estimated $70,000 for their three years at Saint Francis High School.

Saint Francis High School spokesman Jamie Perkins said in a statement obtained by the Post, "We respectfully disagree with the jury's conclusion … regarding the fairness of our disciplinary review process and are exploring legal options, including appeal as there is no legal precedent applying that claim to a high school."

The former students' legal team suggested that this case establishes a new precedent by extending protections set by the California Supreme Court in Boermeester v. Carry, which requires fair procedure rights for students at private universities. Accordingly, such fair procedure rights will allegedly apply to private high schools.

Krista Baughman, partner at the Dhillon Law Group, stated, "This case is significant not only for our clients but for its groundbreaking effect on all private high schools in California, which are now legally required to provide fair procedure to students before punishing or expelling them."

"The jury's verdict finally cleared our clients' names after four long years of repeated personal attacks from St. Francis High School. Schools are supposed to protect and nurture children, not sacrifice them when it is convenient for public relations purpose," added Karin Sweigart, counsel with the Dhillon Law Group.

The former students' parents expressed hope that this result will prompt the school's board of directors to "hold those responsible for these actions and make needed changes to protect students moving forward."

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