The U.S. Department of Education has opened a civil rights investigation into a Colorado school district. Officials are looking into claims that the Cherry Creek School District uses racially discriminatory practices that affect everyone from students to parents.
Allegations of Discrimination
The department’s Office for Civil Rights announced the probe on June 8. Investigators are trying to determine if the district violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal law that bans race-based discrimination in schools that receive federal funding.
According to the allegations, the district runs student clubs that exclude kids based on their race. Other reports claim teachers are required to use race as a factor when assigning classes and deciding how much academic support to give students. There are also complaints about a district-promoted teacher training program that allegedly restricts participation based on skin color.
The federal probe goes beyond the classroom to look at how parents are treated. Investigators are reviewing a group called the Voices of Color Committee. Complaints allege this parent committee gives special access and participation rights based purely on race, leaving other parents without an equal say in decisions regarding their children’s education.
Concerns Over Teacher Training
Officials are also looking at an educator training program called the “Transformational Equity Experience: To Be Seen. To Belong. To Be Whole.” Reports claim this program teaches that the United States is built on “white supremacy.” The complaints say the training sorts individuals into categories of “oppressors” and “oppressed” by looking only at their skin color rather than their personal actions.
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey addressed the scope of the claims in a public statement. “These allegations of racially discriminatory conduct in this District seem to permeate almost every aspect of the school community, affecting students, teachers, and parents alike,” Richey said. “Federal law prohibits racial discrimination, which means that race cannot be a factor in how the school educates its students or trains its teachers. Despite this, the District seems to be basing decisions about how to support students, teachers and parents solely on race.”
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
