'Go Back to Their Motherland': Black Sisters Cite Racist Bullying at School Only To Face Punishment Themselves

Sisters Melody and Kamora Dabney have reached a settlement with Millbury Public Schools in Massachusetts after alleging racist harassment and unfair disciplinary action.

Their lawyers announced the agreement on Monday, 26 October 2026. It includes undisclosed compensation and changes to school grievance procedures, although the district denies wrongdoing.

The sisters and their mother, Trusha Vilvar, filed a federal civil rights complaint on 12 September 2024. They accused Millbury Memorial Junior/Senior High School of failing to address racial harassment while unfairly disciplining the girls. The complaint was submitted to the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights under Title VI.

The settlement was reached in September 2026, according to family attorney Mirian Albert. Superintendent Greg Myers said the agreement involved no admission of wrongdoing or finding that the district had violated the sisters' civil rights.

Dabney Sisters Describe Racist Threats and School Suspensions

The family's civil rights complaint describes repeated racial slurs and insults targeting Melody's skin colour, hair texture and appearance during the 2023-24 school year. Their lawyers alleged that administrators failed to respond adequately despite repeated complaints.

One incident occurred on 6 November 2023, when Melody put her hair into a ponytail as she was leaving a school bus. According to the complaint, an administrator interpreted the gesture as a sign she intended to fight another pupil. Melody received a one-day in-school suspension, which her family disputed.

On 15 December 2023, another pupil allegedly handed Kamora a piece of paper containing a racist slur in the school library. She tore it up and threw the pieces towards the pupil. The complaint says a librarian recorded a disciplinary infraction without acknowledging the racial nature of the incident.

The situation escalated on 11 January 2024, when Melody allegedly received a threatening Snapchat message containing a racial slur. The message also told her to 'go back' to her 'mother land', according to the complaint.

Melody reported the message to school officials. Kamora subsequently confronted a pupil whom the family believed was responsible and struck her. School officials called police, and Kamora received a 20-day out-of-school suspension on 17 January.

The family's lawyers argued that the punishment was excessive. They also alleged that the earlier library infraction was improperly taken into account in determining the suspension, despite assurances that it would not count against Kamora.

Melody faced further disciplinary action in February 2024. Administrators concluded that she had helped fabricate the threatening Snapchat message, resulting in a six-day out-of-school suspension. She denied involvement, while her family challenged the school's findings.

The sisters' complaint alleged that their reports of racial harassment were repeatedly dismissed. Their lawyers argued that disciplinary decisions unfairly portrayed the girls as aggressors rather than addressing the abuse they reported.

Millbury Public Schools Disputes Scope of Dabney Sisters' Settlement

In its settlement announcement, Lawyers for Civil Rights said Millbury Public Schools must revise its Civil Rights Grievance Procedures to strengthen protections against racial bullying. The organisation characterised the required policy changes as an overhaul.

Myers disputed that description. In a statement reported by The Boston Globe, he described the changes as a 'limited clarification' of existing procedures. These concerned progressive disciplinary consequences and factors considered when imposing them.

The superintendent maintained that the settlement was intended to avoid the expense, uncertainty and disruption of prolonged litigation. He also said student record confidentiality prevented the district from addressing individual disciplinary allegations publicly.

'Racism, discrimination, and harassment have no place in our schools,' Myers said. The differing statements leave questions about the agreement's practical scope.

Both sides acknowledge changes to grievance procedures, but disagree about their significance. The full settlement agreement was not available for independent review.

Lawyers for Civil Rights confirmed that the sisters ultimately left the school district following the alleged harassment.

For Vilvar, the case extended beyond her daughters' experiences. 'This was never just about my daughters,' she said in the settlement announcement. She wanted other children experiencing racism or bullying to have their concerns taken seriously.

Vilvar said she hoped the resolution would create an environment where every child could feel 'safe, respected, and heard'.