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MORENO VALLEY, CA— Val Verde Unified School District Police Officer Zuriah McKnight filed suit against Val Verde Unified School District (VVUSD) and VVUSD Police Department, alleging among other things, Racial Discrimination, Failure to Prevent Harassment and Discrimination, and Retaliation, after Mr. McKnight opposed racial harassment and discrimination.
Mr. McKnight joined the VVUSD Police in 2019 and has received many positive accolades. In September 2022, Mr. McKnight was highlighted for his dedication to students and positive attitude in an article titled “Perris school resource officer shakes up rally with viral dance moves: ‘It was absolutely nuts’.”
Unfortunately, upon beginning his employment, Mr. McKnight immediately noticed that Black officers were treated disparately compared to white officers. Mr. McKnight was subjected to racial comments, including being asked by the Chief of Police if he was just going to “eat fried chicken.” Discriminatory racial comments were commonly made. In one instance, after being informed of an African American dinner at a school site, an employee remarked “why don’t they have an all-white people dinner?” Due to his race, Mr. McKnight received unfounded discipline that white officers did not and was told that he would not be sent to additional trainings like other officers.
Mr. McKnight also spoke up about the disparate treatment of female officers by VVUSD. When a female officer was injured in the field, the Chief of Police commented “if she was at home like she should have been, she wouldn’t have been shot.” Female officers were also denied ballistic vests, creating serious safety concerns.
Mr. McKnight and other officers were forced to work “on-call” for 7-day periods, meaning that they be required respond to any call at any hour of the day or night. Officers were also forced to candidate for VVUSD candidates and were told if they did not pass out flyers, “we know who will have a job and who won’t.”
Mr. McKnight continuously spoke up concerning these events and suffered from retaliation by VVUSD. Due to the hostile environment, Mr. McKnight was forced to take medical leave for his own health. While on leave, Mr. McKnight was subjected to false investigations to which he was not informed of, in violation of the Peace Officer Bill of Rights, and threatened by his supervisors and Chief of Police.
Mr. McKnight seeks economic and compensatory damages in his complaint filed in Riverside County Superior Court.
