On October 4, 2024, Parents Defending Education filed a complaint against Kirkwood School District in Kirkwood, Missouri, 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 a group called Kirkwood Teachers of Color. Its webpage says the district aims to “hire, mentor, and retain teachers of color.” The district has also held a “Minority Recruitment and Networking Event” to recruit educators based on their race. And the group’s newsletter describes programs and benefits for its members. Teachers of other races are left out of this support because of their race.
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 complaint and see its evidence below:
