A former Mountain View High School student is suing the Mountain View Los Altos High School District, alleging that administrators failed to address years of racist harassment and a fabricated yearbook quote printed under his name. Amir Ware says he brought his concerns to Principal Kip Glazer and Superintendent Eric Volta, but the district did not publicly acknowledge the incident or investigate his complaints.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court on Tuesday, accuses the district of racial discrimination, negligent supervision, and infliction of emotional distress, according to the Palo Alto Daily Post. Court records reviewed by PacerMonitor show the case was docketed as 5:26-cv-11511 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, with claims brought under 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 against the district, Glazer, and Volta.
A Freshman Year Cut Short
Ware attended Mountain View High School for one week during his sophomore year before switching to independent study, he said, after racist comments from peers became too much. He said he experienced similar treatment as a junior, then returned for one semester as a senior during the 2024-25 school year before going back to independent study for his final term, per the Daily Post's reporting.
During that time, Ware said he was one of only five Black players on the football team. That isolation tracks with district-wide demographics: Black or African American students made up just 1.1% of the roughly 4,406 students enrolled across the Mountain View Los Altos High School District in the 2023-2024 school year, while at Mountain View High School specifically, Black students accounted for about 2% of the school's 2,196 students as of August 2023, according to Mountain View High School.
The lawsuit alleges that a football player repeatedly called Ware the full N-word with a hard R. It also says teammates and coaches mocked his weight, comparing his thinness to a starving African child. Separately, the suit alleges Coach Rick Esparza benched Ware after he dropped a pass while several white players remained in the game after larger errors.
The Yearbook Quote and the Cover-Up Attempt
Ware said he learned on May 22, 2025, that the varsity football page of the yearbook carried the quote “I can't breathe” under his name. He said he had not submitted it. His mother emailed Glazer and Volta, and the lawsuit says Ware sought a public clarification and apology.
According to the lawsuit, Volta said a public clarification would be difficult and offered instead to place something in the student newspaper; the suit alleges no story was published. Six days after the quote was discovered, the school halted yearbook distribution and asked students with copies to return them for an immediate correction, as reported by the Palo Alto Daily Post.
After distribution resumed, yellow tape or black marker covered the quote, according to the lawsuit, which says the alteration drew more attention to it. The suit also alleges that no investigation into Ware’s experiences of racism took place and that he was ostracized by peers and experienced daily distress at school.
A Pattern That Extends Beyond the Classroom
Ware was not acknowledged at the track and field banquet on June 3, 2025, despite breaking school records and helping the team reach its first state championship; Coach Mark Rutner apologized for the oversight after the banquet, the lawsuit states, as reported by Palo Alto Daily Post. Ware now runs track at College of San Mateo, and the suit says he has yet to receive any of the relief he requested from the school. Attorney Carlos Rosario filed the suit on Ware's behalf.
The case lands amid a broader reckoning for MVLA's central administration. Glazer and the district are already defending a separate federal lawsuit, covered by Hoodline, brought by former student newspaper advisor Carla Gomez and student reporters who allege Glazer unlawfully censored a student article about sexual harassment on campus. In a July 2026 court statement, Glazer denied pressuring or threatening the student journalists, saying her actions were meant to guide them.
Calls for District Equity Measures
The allegations come amid calls for racial-equity measures at the Mountain View Los Altos High School District.
Earlier Calls for District Equity Measures
Students and alumni called for racial-equity measures, including a steering committee, but the board could not act on the matter at that meeting, the Mountain View Voice reported in September 2020.
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has an enforcement role in addressing discrimination in education. Federal civil-rights policy also addresses discrimination that affects students' participation in education.
This is not the first time the district has faced a civil rights claim tied to a federal complaint. MVLA previously paid an $80,000 settlement in March 2018 to resolve a lawsuit from a former student who alleged the district failed to protect her rights under Title IX following a sexual assault, though officials admitted no wrongdoing at the time, as reported by Mountain View Voice. Volta was superintendent while Ware's family brought their complaints to central administration.
Volta could not be reached by the Daily Post on Friday for the district's response to the lawsuit.
