In October 2024, Parents Defending Education asked the San Jose Local Office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District in Pescadero, California. PDE claims the district is breaking Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a law that bans employers from discriminating against workers based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
The district’s updated equity policy makes race-based recruiting and retention a main goal by June 2024. It states that “District and site staff shall fully implement the LHPUSD hiring policy and achieve an increase in the diversity of the workforce in at least 75% of new hires.” A district presentation, “Hiring and Retaining a Diverse Staff 2024-2025,” lists ways to “encourage diverse candidates,” including to “prioritiz[e] messaging that centers diversity/POC.” Under this policy, qualified teachers might be turned away just because of the color of their skin.
Defending Education urges the EEOC to investigate every claim in its request, fix La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District’s illegal policies and practices, and order the right remedies.
Read the full complaint and see its evidence below:
