Court orders student to change class after racist and gender-based attacks on 14-year-old classmate

The court ordered the immediate transfer of a student investigated for racist and gender-based attacks against a colleague in Araguaçu this Wednesday (9).

The student must be transferred to another class and is prohibited from having contact with the 14-year-old victim, whether in person or online.

According to the Public Ministry, the young woman suffered frequent verbal abuse regarding her skin and curly hair. Previous measures by the school did not stop the assaults.

If the measures fail, the student may be transferred to another school. The municipality has 48 hours to prove compliance, under penalty of a fine of R$20,000.

The court ordered the immediate reassignment of a student investigated for carrying out racist and gender-based attacks against a 14-year-old classmate at a public school in Araguaçu, in the southern region of Tocantins. The decision is preliminary, a provisional and urgent court order given by a judge before the final judgment.

The teenager must be transferred to another class in the same grade on the first school day after the school is notified. He is also prohibited from maintaining contact with the student, whether in person or online since the decision obtained by the Public Ministry of Tocantins (MPTO), last Wednesday (9).

According to the Araguaçu Public Prosecutor's Office, the student had been suffering frequent verbal abuse related to her skin color and curly hair. She would also have been the target of sexual humiliation in front of her colleagues.

According to prosecutor Jorge José Maria Neto, the conduct investigated goes beyond disagreements between colleagues and presents characteristics of psychological violence with racial and gender motivation.

The investigation also showed that the school had already applied disciplinary measures, such as warnings and temporary suspension. According to the MPTO, the measures were not sufficient to stop the attacks.

In addition to changing classes, the student cannot commit acts of provocation, intimidation, threat or approach against the student.

The school management must reorganize the routine and common spaces of the unit to avoid encounters between the two. The measures must also preserve the privacy of those involved and avoid exposing students to the class.

If these measures are not sufficient, the decision allows, as a last alternative, the transfer of the teenager to another school in the municipal network. In this case, a place, enrollment and regular attendance must be guaranteed, without pedagogical prejudice.

The municipality will have 48 hours, counting from the first school day after the subpoena, to prove compliance with the measures. In case of unjustified non-compliance, the fine can reach R$20,000.