On February 24, 2025, Parents Defending Education filed a complaint against San Leandro Unified School District in California 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.
Two San Leandro schools signed a $74,750 contract with Kingmakers of Oakland for the 2024–2025 school year. Kingmakers says its mission is to “uplift the intrinsic potential and inherent brilliance of every Black male student.” Its services include mentoring, classroom lessons, events like a “Crowning Ceremony,” and training for teachers. Its goals include recruiting Black male teachers.
The contract’s own “needs assessment” notes that the largest group of students at these schools is Hispanic or Latino, and that many others are Asian. But it focuses only on the needs of Black students. That means students of other races are shut out of the program’s mentoring and 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 full complaint below:
