San Francisco Unified School District says it is recommitting to cracking down on anti-Black hate speech in its schools after the San Francisco NAACP and other community advocates accused the district of failing to act on repeated racist incidents involving Black students. The pledge follows a Sept. 4 episode at Lincoln High School in which a Black student was called the N-word during a passing period, and it comes amid a broader pattern of racial slurs and taunting that advocates say has gone unaddressed for too long.
According to KQED, the NAACP and Coleman Advocates say the Lincoln High incident is part of a troubling trend of anti-Black rhetoric across multiple district high schools. San Francisco NAACP President Emeritus Amos Brown has said the N-word is used repeatedly at the elementary, middle and high school levels within SFUSD, per the same report. Brown later told KRON4 that the superintendent and the district had heard the NAACP's concerns and committed to enforcing the district's board policy on hate-motivated behavior and hate speech.
SFUSD, in a joint statement issued this month, said it is already aware of the Lincoln High incident and is meeting with families, students, the NAACP and others to address it, according to NBC Bay Area. The district told KQED it is implementing restorative practices to make sure students directly impacted by the incident receive the support they need, while also extending that support to the wider school community.
What the District's Policy Actually Requires
SFUSD points to its Student and Family Handbook, which incorporates Board Policy and Administrative Regulation 5145.9 governing how reports of hate-motivated behavior, including hate speech, are handled, the district said in its announcement. Under that policy, a school's administrative team is expected to take immediate action to stop the behavior, which includes investigating the report, providing supportive measures and taking corrective action.
A separate policy document reviewed through SFUSD board records describes a commitment to a learning environment that protects students from discrimination, harassment, intimidation, bullying and other hate-motivated behavior. That same document says a student, parent or guardian who believes a student has been victimized is strongly encouraged to report the incident to a teacher, principal, district compliance officer or other staff member. SFUSD also says school staff receive training every year on identifying acts of bullying, harassment and hate-motivated behavior and understanding their responsibility to intervene.
Lowell Baseball Coaches Removed, Games Forfeited
The Lincoln High incident is not the only case advocates have raised. SFUSD previously removed Lowell High School's varsity baseball coaching staff and announced the team would forfeit three games the following spring after an incident of racial taunting, according to KQED's reporting. Advocates are now pushing the district to go further by collecting data on these incidents, including where they occur and how they are resolved, NBC Bay Area reported.
The NAACP has framed its demand bluntly: the organization is calling for less talk and more action from the district, per KRON4's account of Brown's remarks. At the same time, the organization has said it believes SFUSD is committed to greater efforts to address hate speech and help everyone feel safe, according to the same report.
Superintendent Commitments Cited by Brown
Brown told KRON4 that the superintendent agreed to find financing to establish an Afro-centric school within the district, which he said would provide underserved Black and brown children in SFUSD with a focused, loving and safe educational experience. Brown also said the superintendent committed to continuing Unity Day, a district event that brings together students to learn about one another's ethnic and historical backgrounds, according to the KRON4 report.
SFUSD's own statement did not independently confirm those specific commitments but said the district will continue to engage with families, students, staff and community partners, including civil rights organizations such as the NAACP, to address hate and racism in schools. The district reiterated that racism, hate, discrimination and harassment have no place in SFUSD and said hate speech can leave students feeling unsafe or unwelcome.
A Pattern Stretching Back Years
This is not the first time SFUSD has had to publicly respond to racist incidents targeting Black students. In November 2024, anonymous racist text messages invoking slavery were sent to Black men, women and students nationwide, including some connected to SFUSD, the San Francisco Chronicle reported at the time. Then-acting Superintendent Maria Su, Brown and Sherrice Dorsey-Smith jointly condemned the messages and pledged wellness support for any young person affected, according to the Chronicle. The FBI and other agencies investigated those messages, which surfaced in California and several other states.
CBS News reported that federal authorities were investigating texts targeting Black students from middle school through college across ten states, including some originating in San Francisco. Months earlier, in April 2024, community members gathered at Third Baptist Church described what they called an epidemic of racist slurs against Black students in the city's public schools, according to the San Francisco Standard.
SFUSD has said repeatedly that it is working to make its schools safe, welcoming and healthy spaces for students and staff, a commitment the district reaffirmed in its 2024 statement following the text-message incident. Whether this latest round of meetings and promised enforcement produces measurable change remains to be seen, but advocates have made clear they intend to keep pressing for the data and accountability they say have been missing so far.
