On January 31, 2023, Parents Defending Education filed a complaint against the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and Pajaro Valley Unified School District in California with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. DE claims they are breaking Title VI, a law that bans race discrimination in programs that receive federal funds. It also claims they are 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 county office promoted an “Ethnic Studies Teacher of Color Circle” for teachers who teach or want to teach ethnic studies. According to the county’s own description, the group “will be made up of teachers who identify as teachers of color.” Teachers of other races who teach the same subject were left out of this support because of their race.
Defending Education urges the Department to investigate every claim in its complaint, fix these illegal policies and practices, and order the right remedies.
Read the full complaint and see its evidence below:
