On March 5, 2025, Parents Defending Education filed a complaint against Charleston County School District in South Carolina with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. The complaint claims the district is breaking Title VI, a law that bans race discrimination in programs that receive federal funds. It also claims the district is 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 district runs affinity groups for its staff, and only some teachers can take part. Its “Black Educator Affinity Group” is “for black educators.” Its “Hispanic-Latino Affinity Group” promises to “support recruitment, retention and innovation” of Hispanic-Latino employees and to give them “professional development and career advancement opportunities.” That means teachers of other races are denied support that can help them advance.
Defending Education urges the Department to investigate every claim in its complaint, fix the district’s illegal policies and practices, and order the right remedies.
Read the full complaint below:
