Richfield families sue school district, alleging discrimination

Parents of three Richfield High School students are suing the school district, alleging their children were treated unfairly in the wake of a 2022 shooting that the students were not involved in.

Parents Leah Harris, on behalf of her two sons identified in the complaint only as T.H. and D.H., and Tara Behl, on behalf of her son identified as T.N., said in a lawsuit that their children, who had nothing to do with the shooting, were punished and discriminated against. Two others were arrested and charged after two were shot and wounded at a football game in September 2022. T.H., D.H. and T.N. were suspended for several days after the shooting.

When they came back to school, according to allegations in a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court, they were subject to daily searches, including taking off their shoes, lifting their pant legs, showing their waistbands and having their backpacks rummaged through. The complaint alleges the searches violated the students' rights, and alleged the three students were targeted for their races and disability.

The students were banned from after-school activities and sports games and were not allowed to go to prom.

The complaint alleges the district tried to refer the three students to an alternative high school for at-risk students, South Education Center Academy.

The suit names the district's superintendent and Richfield High School administrators as defendants. The Richfield Public School District does not comment on ongoing litigation, spokeswoman Jennifer Valley said.