The parents of two Black middle school students in Portage have filed a federal lawsuit against the district, alleging their children endured relentless racial harassment from peers and a school bus driver, while administrators failed to take meaningful action to address the behavior.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court last week, contends the Portage Public School District fostered an environment where racial harassment is pervasive and largely unaddressed. The children were so ruthlessly mocked that their parents, Adam and Nakia Baylis, removed them from Portage West Middle School, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit details a series of disturbing incidents involving the Baylis children. Fellow students called them the n-word, “monkey,” and “ape” and told them to “go pick cotton,” according to the lawsuit.
The harassment also included racial slurs, other derogatory messages via text and social media, and a Halloween 2023 incident in which a bus driver chased one of the children through their neighborhood while shouting racial slurs, comparing the student to a derogatory stereotype, according to the lawsuit. On another occasion, the photo of a white student in blackface was posted on social media, with the caption, “I made myself into a ni–ger.”
The lawsuit also includes exhibits of racist messages sent to the Baylis children, such as images of Ku Klux Klan members and other derogatory content.
The incidents left the child traumatized.
The lawsuit was filed against West Middle School Principal Jason Messenger, Assistant Principal Sidney Bailey, school counselor Becky Moon, and school bus driver Bob Hayworth.
Despite presenting evidence, the parents claim administrators failed to take substantive action. Even after reporting the bus driver’s behavior to both the district’s transportation department and local police, Hayworth allegedly continued driving his regular route, exacerbating the children’s distress.
Nakia Baylis, a professional social justice advocate, emphasized the importance of pursuing legal action to protect not only her children but others in the district.
"Our goal in pursuing this case is not to shame others, but to utilize our privilege in the pursuit of justice — not only for our family but for all families who may not have the same resources and have faced similar challenges within the district," she said in a statement to Metro Times. "It is regrettable that ensuring a safe and equitable learning environment for every student, regardless of race or ethnicity, requires such measures."
The Baylis family claims that repeated meetings with school administrators between September and November 2023 failed to end the harassment. The parents allege they were told that the district lacked specific policies to address racial harassment, leaving their children and other Black students vulnerable to ongoing harm.
"The administration admitted during the meeting that there were no specific policies in place to address racial harassment," the lawsuit states. "This lack of specific policies left both [students], as well as other students of color, vulnerable to ongoing harassment without adequate protection or clear processes for addressing such behavior."
The Baylis family is represented by Taylor Law Firm, PLLC, a Detroit-based boutique litigation firm specializing in civil rights cases. Managing Attorney Alexandria J. Taylor said the lawsuit seeks accountability and systemic changes to protect students from racial discrimination.
“This lawsuit is about holding the Portage Public School District accountable for failing to protect its students from pervasive racial harassment," Taylor said. "No one, especially a child, should ever have to endure the kind of hostility and discrimination these children faced in a place meant to nurture and educate.”
Portage, located about 150 miles west of Detroit, is a city of nearly 50,000 residents, with a Black population of about 5%.
Metro Times is awaiting a response from the school district.In July, the parents of five Black elementary and middle school students in Livingston County sued Pinckney Community Schools, alleging their children endured “severe, pervasive, and persistent” racist comments as administrators looked the other way.
