Defending Education and Do No Harm File Joint Complaint against the Oregon Department of Education and Higher Education Commission for Violations of Title VI

On May 28, 2026, Defending Education and Do No Harm filed a joint complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights against Oregon’s Department of Education and Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission for race discrimination in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Oregon’s Department of Education is violating Title VI and the Equal Protection Clause by requiring charter schools to implement unlawful racial enrollment quotas to be eligible for Oregon’s Charter School Equity Grant program. Additionally, the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission distributes “bonus” taxpayer funds to schools based on the number of minority students who graduate from each school. 

Both programs, which rely on race as a metric for the distribution of federal funds, are odious to the Constitution and a violation of federal civil rights law. 

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