HIGHLAND, Kan. (AP) — Three former coaches at a northeast Kansas community college allege in a lawsuit that the school wanted to reduce the number of Black student-athletes on campus.

KCUR reports that the lawsuit filed in federal court last week contends Highland Community College asked coaches not to recruit Black athletes, discouraged Black students from attending the college and intimidated Black athletes into leaving.

Highland officials deny the allegations.

Fewer than 6% of Highland's 3,200 students are Black.

The lawsuit was filed by B.J. Smith, the former women’s basketball coach; Bradford Zinn, a former assistant coach; and Jered Ross, also a former assistant coach.

Zinn and Ross, who are Black, and Smith, who is white, left the school in 2020 after their contracts were not renewed when they refused to resign.

The lawsuit names the college; its president, Deborah Fox; its athletic director, Bryan Dorrel; and a member of its board of trustees, Russell Karn.

Fox, who became the school's president in March 2019, said in an email that the school “adamantly denies” the coaches' allegations.

She said the lawsuit will allow the college to present its side of the story.

The lawsuit mirrors one filed on behalf of four Black students in March 2020 by the ACLU of Kansas, which alleged that Highland expelled Black students for minor or bogus infractions and subjected them to arbitrary searches, surveillance and harassment on campus. In a settlement, the school agreed to pay up to $15,000 to each of them and pledged to provide anti-discrimination and Fourth Amendment training to staff and administrators.