Mom sued Columbus school for alleged discrimination. Appeals court decides case
A mother who sued a Columbus private school five years ago for alleged racial and disability-based discrimination against her son has lost her appeal.
Jaketra Bryant’s 2021 lawsuit against Calvary Christian School was filed on behalf of her son in the Middle District of Georgia federal court. Angelik Edmonds of the Edmonds Law Office in Atlanta represented her in the case. Bryant asserted her claims under federal laws from the Civil Rights Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Calvary’s attorney, Hieu Nguyen of the Gainesville, Georgia-based law firm Harben, Hartley & Hawkins, wrote in the defendant’s response to the lawsuit that all the school staff’s decisions regarding Bryant’s son “were made in good faith and were based on legitimate, non-discriminatory and valid educational reasons and reasonable factors other than race or disability.”
In his 2023 order granting summary judgment in favor of Calvary, U.S. District Judge Clay Land wrote that he agrees with Calvary’s assertion that Bryant’s son doesn’t have a disability “within the meaning of the Rehabilitation Act because Bryant did not point to evidence from which a fact finder could conclude that (her son’s) ADHD and autism substantially limit one or more of his major life activities.”
As for Bryant’s claims of racial discrimination, Land wrote, “Bryant has failed to show that Calvary’s proffered reasons were false and that the real reason for (her son’s) dismissal was race.”
Land also ruled that Bryant shall recover nothing from Calvary and shall pay the school’s costs of the lawsuit. Bryant sought a jury trial, unspecified punitive and compensatory damages, plus legal expenses.
Bryant is among the five candidates who have announced campaigns to run in the May 19 election for mayor of Columbus.
Lawsuit’s claims against Calvary Christian School
Bryant’s son, who is Black and was diagnosed with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, enrolled at Calvary as a sixth-grader in 2019 because of its advertisement as a school providing “personalized attention for students with special needs,” according to the complaint.
Bryant, however, contended that Calvary teachers and administrators violated her son’s civil rights by:
- Discriminatory discipline
- An unwillingness to accommodate his disability
- Repeatedly encouraging Bryant to medicate him despite her requests for nonmedical interventions
- Refusing the assistance of supportive therapies to help teachers instruct him
- Forcing him to remain with a teacher following complaints of discrimination.
Calvary dismissed her son in March 2021 “for behavioral manifestations of his disability,” the plaintiff says in the lawsuit.
Nguyen wrote in his defense of Calvary that Bryant’s son “was disciplined for his inappropriate and explosive behavior in the classroom.”
He also wrote, “Plaintiff consented to the educational placement of minor child (Bryant’s son) and failed to take advantage of the corrective or therapeutic opportunities suggested by Defendant.”
Opinion from U.S. Court of Appeals
In its opinion issued Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit affirmed Land’s decision to grant summary judgment to Calvary on each of Bryant’s claims.
Regarding the racial discrimination claims, the appeals court’s opinion says, “The district court concluded that the alleged conduct by students and staff did not deny (Bryant’s son) equal access to education, although the comments made by the other students were offensive. We agree.
“The comments made by (her son’s) peers — that God hates Black people and gay people — are certainly offensive. But we view those comments through the prism of the circumstances in which they arose, and we conclude that they do not rise to the level of harassment sufficient to establish a hostile educational environment.”
Regarding the disability discrimination claims, the appeals court’s opinion says, “Ms. Bryant does not dispute that (her son’s) incidents of misconduct occurred, including incidents involving property destruction. She also does not dispute that she did not seek the medication Calvary suggested to address (her son’s) behavioral problems and that she delayed seeking ABA therapy.
“In light of these deficiencies in (her son’s) conduct and Ms. Bryant’s delay in redressing them as Calvary required, we agree with the district court that (her son) has not demonstrated that he was ‘otherwise qualified’ to attend. We affirm the district court’s order of summary judgment on Ms. Bryant’s disability discrimination claims on that basis.”
Reaction to decision
Reagan Sauls, an attorney with the Atlanta law firm Parker Poe, emailed the following statement to the Ledger-Enquirer on behalf of Calvary Christian School:
“We are pleased with the 11th Circuit’s decision affirming the order of Judge Land in the District Court dismissing this case. Calvary Christian successfully defended claims against the school and maintained its commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and fairness in all its actions. Throughout the legal process, Calvary Christian remained focused on its mission to serve its students and community.”
Bryant emailed the following statement to the Ledger-Enquirer:
“While the case has formally closed after five years, our position has not changed. The closing of a case does not determine the truth of a child’s lived experience, nor does it erase the concerns that were raised. It simply marks the end of a legal process within a system that often lacks the education and training necessary to fully understand disability accommodations and student rights.
“Throughout this process, we have consistently advocated not only for my son, but for broader awareness about how schools interpret and implement accommodations for students who qualify. One of the most concerning lessons from this experience is the clear gap in understanding — at multiple levels — about what appropriate support looks like and how it should be provided.
“The outcome of this case does not invalidate the issues we raised. Instead, it highlights the need for stronger education, clearer accountability, and better systems so that families are not left navigating years of stress simply to secure what federal law already provides.
“Most importantly, my son’s trajectory speaks for itself. With proper accommodations in place, he has thrived. He has earned honors and AP distinctions, received an honor scholarship, and has been accepted to the top art and design institution in the country, Savannah College of Art and Design. That success is not accidental — it reflects what happens when students receive the support they are entitled to.
“This has never been about retaliation or blame. It has always been about education, equity, and ensuring that no other family has to endure a five-year battle simply to be heard. Advocacy does not end because a case closes. It continues because the work is not finished.”
This story was originally published February 13, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
