UPDATE: On June 15, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights dismissed this complaint because it did not receive additional information it had requested about the events. See the letter here.
On December 17, 2021, Parents Defending Education filed a complaint against Centennial Elementary School in Denver, Colorado, part of Denver Public Schools, with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. The complaint claimed the school was breaking Title VI, a law that bans race discrimination in programs that receive federal funds. It also claimed the school was violating the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause, which bars government bodies, including public schools, from treating people differently because of their race except in rare cases.
The school’s message board and public calendar advertised “Families of Color Playground Night” events on October 13, November 10, and December 8, 2021. The events were organized by the school’s “Dean of Culture.” Families of other races were not invited. DE argues that this constitutes discrimination on the basis of race.
Read the full complaint below:
