Bre'yanna Brown walked inside the Shawnee Mission School District school board meeting Monday night with her family by her side.
But she's not been able to walk the hallways of her high school, Shawnee Mission East, since she was attacked and called a racial slur.
Bre'yanna sat in the front row at Monday's meeting with her family and attorney.
She remained silent during the public comment session and listened as people spoke to school board members.
VOICE FOR EVERYONE | Share your voice with KSHB 41’s Alyssa Jackson
"I am concerned about the action or lack thereof to create a safe space for students of color," one parent told the board. "No students should have to go to school in fear of being called derogatory or hateful names including n** and slave."
Another said they already worried about gunmen infiltrating schools and now they worry about students shouting racial slurs and throwing punches at students.
Students who have made their voices heard in several protests since last week joined Bre'yanna in silence at the meeting.
They wore face coverings with "protect us," "censorship" and "am I next?" written on them.
Several of them told KSHB 41 they experienced racism just like Bre'yanna.
Charlize Littlejohn, a student at Shawnee Mission East High School, recalls being called the "n** word" and being punished after her response to the slur got physical.
"They said she was going through a lot," Littlejohn said of the student. "That's the response they have to racism and it's happened to me every year I've been there."
Another student talked about what's she's faced at the school
"I've experienced microaggressions," said Sanaia Nelson, a Shawnee Mission East student.
At the start of the meeting, Superintendent Michelle Hubbard made a statement about the incident similar to the district's response last week.
"Racism has no place in our schools," Hubbard said. "Our community has been clear that we must be committed to diversity, equity and inclusion."
The statement didn't address several demands from students.
Those include revising the district's zero-tolerance policy to protect students of color, expelling the student who attacked Brown, requiring district staff to take cultural competency exams and a formal apology for how the district has handled the incident.
"It's unacceptable," Nelson said. "There's more that can be done."
KSHB 41 left messages for all school board members asking for comment before Monday's meeting, but none responded.
