Black Woman's Suit Over Cotton-Picking Project At LAUSD School Dismissed By Judge

HOLLYWOOD, CA — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Black woman against the Los Angeles Unified School District, in which she alleged her daughter suffered emotional distress after a cotton-picking field was set up at her Hollywood school to teach children about the experiences of slaves.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gail Killefer on Tuesday dismissed the case after hearing augments on LAUSD's dismissal motion. District lawyers argued that Rashunda Pitts' civil rights claims were barred by the statute of limitations, a lack of showing threats, intimidation or coercion and the immunity of school officials.

The suit also named the school board and the principal and teacher at Laurel Span School, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Pitts claimed one day when she was dropping off her daughter she saw as cotton field set up in front of the elementary school. A school official told her that her daughter's class was reading Frederick Douglass’ autobiography and the cotton field offered students a "real life experience" of slavery, the suit claimed.

Pitts claimed that the school principal agreed with her request to take down the cotton field, but was unable to do so within the 24-hour timeframe requested by Pitts.

Pitts' daughter said that her social justice teacher required students to "pick cotton." While she was not herself forced to do so, she had to watch other students complete the project while she cared for other crops in the garden, the suit claimed.

“Tending to the garden where a variety of fruits, vegetables and other plants grow is a school-wide tradition that has been in place for years and has never been used as a tool to re-enact historical events,” reads a statement released by LAUSD, according to the Times. “When school administrators became aware of a parent’s concern about the cotton plant, they responded immediately by removing the plant.”

Pitts claimed her daughter suffered emotional distress, including "uncontrollable anxiety attacks" and "bouts of depression" when she thinks about the cotton-picking project, the Times reported.

City News Service contributed to this report.