The parents of a 6-year-old Black girl in the Atlanta area have filed a federal lawsuit against the DeKalb County School District, claiming their daughter endured racial harassment and physical assaults at Ashford Park Elementary School.
The allegations include a terrifying incident in 2024 where a violent pack of students allegedly grabbed the girl, scratched her face up and dragged her by the hair while shouting “attack.”
Cathea and Albenis Terminio say the abuse began shortly after their daughter enrolled in the school in 2023 and worsened over time, with school officials failing to protect her. The family has turned to the courts after what they describe as inaction from administrators and a school culture that ignored their cries for help.
“It has to stop. This is not acceptable,” said Cathea Terminio, according to station WSB-TV.
According to the legal action, the child was first targeted in 2023 when a white classmate began calling her the N-word and “monkey.” The insults soon gave way to physical violence. One incident involved a student stomping on the child’s hand. In another, a classmate reportedly threw a desk at the girl.
The most alarming event detailed in the lawsuit took place in 2024, when a mob of students allegedly cornered the girl while the assailants egged each other on, yelling, “attack!”
“This is systemic, this is ongoing, and we weren’t the first family to experience these issues,” said Cathea, adding that she repeatedly alerted school officials about ongoing bullying and demanded a plan to ensure her daughter’s safety. But her requests, she says, have been met with silence or hostility.
“I immediately asked for a safety plan, which to date, we never received a specific, comprehensive safety plan for our child,” Terminio told WSB.
Instead of receiving help, Cathea says she was issued a no trespassing order after visiting the school in 2024 to request an update on the safety plan. Security staff allegedly ordered her to leave school property.
“We’ve been prohibited from communicating with her teachers,” she said.
The family’s isolation didn’t stop there. Cathea says she also began receiving anonymous, threatening emails, warning her to leave the community.
One message read:
“Get out, leave now, you’re not wanted we don’t want you here.”
Another stated:
“If you wanted to be at a school that’s more diverse, maybe you shouldn’t have moved to this neighborhood.”
Cathea reported the threats to Brookhaven police. Investigators were able to trace one of the emails to California and another to China, she said.
DeKalb County School District issued a statement to WSB, saying:
“The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) is fully committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all students and employees. District and school leaders actively promote a culture of professionalism and respect, aiming to create and maintain learning environments free from bullying, threats, or intimidation for all students, staff, and families. It is the longstanding practice of DCSD not to comment on potential or pending litigation.”
Ashford Park Elementary School, located in the suburban Brookhaven area of Atlanta, serves 697 students in pre-K through fifth grade. According to state data, the school performs well academically: 68 percent of students scored at or above proficiency in reading and 60 percent in math — far outperforming district and statewide averages.
Yet, a deeper look at the school’s demographics may shed light on the family’s allegations. While 42 percent of students are minorities, the majority remain white, and only 12 percent of the student body is economically disadvantaged — suggesting the school’s population may not reflect the diversity seen elsewhere in the district. In DeKalb County overall, just 27 percent of students tested at or above math proficiency and 32 percent in reading.
Notably, only 34 percent of Ashford Park’s full-time teachers are certified — a surprisingly low rate for a school ranked 163rd out of 1,249 elementary schools in Georgia.
The school has 48 full-time teachers and just two counselors, raising concerns about its capacity to handle complex student needs, including racial bias and bullying. With a student-teacher ratio of 15:1, some parents question whether enough is being done to protect the most vulnerable children.
For the Terminios, the legal fight is about more than one child. They believe their daughter’s case reflects a deeper, unaddressed problem at Ashford Park and beyond.
“This is systemic, this is ongoing,” Cathea repeated. “And we weren’t the first family to experience these issues.”
The lawsuit is pending in federal court.
