UPDATE: On January 13, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights referred this complaint to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which handles discrimination in hiring and employment. See the letter here.
On September 16, 2022, Parents Defending Education filed a complaint against Jeffco Public Schools in Jefferson County, Colorado, with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. DE claimed the district was breaking Title VI, a law that bans race discrimination in programs that receive federal funds. It also claimed the district 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.
Jeffco advertised a year-long series of “Employees of Color Gatherings” for the 2022–23 school year. Its contract with the teachers’ union also commits the district to:
• create a “safe space for educators of color to meet and support each other”;
• create a “1:1 mentorship program for educators of color… to be mentored by more experienced educators of color”;
• help educators of color earn leadership licenses and get jobs in administration; and
• “actively recruit individuals of color” for its Equity Ombuds position.
Teachers of other races are left out of this mentoring and career support because of their race.
Read the full complaint and see its evidence below:
