*NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson’s family is suing Oaks Christian School, claiming the California campus failed to protect his son from racist abuse. The boy, who is Black, was a sixth grader there during the 2024-2025 school year, the New York Post reports.
Court filings identify the boy as DD. He has since transferred to another school. According to the lawsuit, the ordeal caused lasting emotional and developmental harm.
Dickerson and DD’s mother say they took the problem straight to administrators. They asked the school to talk with students about racist slurs and to call the other children’s parents. According to the suit, administrators ignored their concerns.
“His family repeatedly told Oaks Christian what was happening and asked the school to protect him,” family attorney Robert Glassman said. “Instead of stopping the abuse, the school allowed it to continue.”
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Speaking up allegedly made things worse. After a classmate floated a nickname blending DD’s surname with the N-word (“Ni–erson”) during music class, DD told his teacher. The teacher allegedly called him a liar with other students watching.
The abuse also turned physical. The suit says a girl struck DD on the head at lunch, took his meal, and spilled his water on purpose. School officials saw it on video, yet she reportedly got off with a talking-to.
One boy allegedly called DD the N-word repeatedly and compared him to an animal on a class zoo outing. He reportedly carried a knife at school, but the lawsuit says administrators never disciplined him.
“(DD) was a Black child who came to Oaks Christian School to learn and to grow. Instead, over the course of his sixth-grade year, (DD) was subjected to relentless racial harassment, bullying, and physical assault,” the complaint states.
The family’s legal claims, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, include negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and a violation of California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act.
“No child should be subjected to racial harassment or physical violence at school while the adults entrusted with his safety fail to act,” Glassman said.
The filing argues the problem predates DD. Over 8,100 alumni signed a 2020 petition alleging discrimination against Black students. Another Black former student has a pending case alleging slurs, lynching threats, and a mock slave auction from 2021 to 2024.
The school plans to fight the claims in court. “Oaks Christian School is committed to the dignity of every student, consistent with our Christian faith. We are aware of the lawsuit. The school disputes the allegations regarding its conduct and will respond through the legal process,” the Office of the Head of School said in a statement.
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