On April 7, 2026, a group of parents from my son’s elementary school submitted a formal complaint regarding a racial slur incident at Camp Pali. The incident occurred during a Grade 5 sleep-away camp attended by graduating students from Mark Keppel Elementary, where Korean American students from the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) class were targeted. This event was the boiling point of a systemic issue regarding the general treatment of Korean American and DLI students by both faculty and peers. The incident triggered an independent legal investigation, and we have just received the official report detailing the findings and allegations.
I was most deeply affected by an anonymous student’s journal entry from Camp Pali, which detailed how marginalized they felt as a DLI student. Because my son is also in the DLI program, a year behind, this hit incredibly close to home. The situation has galvanized DLI parents, who feel their children—mostly Korean American—face systemic bias at school. Parents have observed that Armenian teachers and staff often treat general education Armenian students with more warmth, while subjecting DLI students to harsher scrutiny.
Because of the parental pressure, the school hired an independent law firm to investigate the complaints, and here’s the summary of results:
Key Findings and Conclusions
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Allegation 1: Student-to-Student Racial Harassment (Substantiated) Evidence proved that several non-Korean Dual Language Immersion (DLI) students directed racial slurs (“ching chong,” “Korean f*ckers”) and offensive slanted-eye gestures at Korean DLI students during camp activities.
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Allegation 2: District Communication Failure (Not Substantiated) The District took prompt, reasonable steps to manage the incident, implementing disciplinary suspensions and issuing separate, targeted email updates to affected DLI and general 5th-grade families.
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Allegation 3: Staff Discrimination (Not Substantiated) The investigation found insufficient evidence that yard duty staff treated Korean DLI students differently during lunch or recess.
Corrective Actions & Appeals
Appropriate disciplinary actions were taken against the offending students under the California Education Code. Moving forward, the school will reinforce racial sensitivity and utilize behavior contracts or restorative circles if future violations occur. The complainant maintains the right to appeal this decision within five business days.
You can review the full report here
You can review the full initial complaint here
In my opinion, the legal action has overshadowed the true poignancy of the situation and the lived experiences of the students. The resources spent on this legal complaint would be far better utilized in strengthening and healing our school community. Sadly, racism remains a stark reality even within my son’s elementary school in Glendale, California—proving that prejudice can persist despite being in one of the seemingly most progressive areas of the country.
