In September 2024, Parents Defending Education asked the New York District Office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate Rochester City School District in Rochester, New York. The request claims the district is breaking Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a law that bans employers from discriminating against workers based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
The district’s Racial Equity Action Plan aims to make sure “staffing of the RCSD will reflect the racial composition of the student population.” One goal is to “[r]ecruit and retain significantly greater numbers of qualified, appropriately credentialed, underrepresented race and class-conscious staff of color: African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American.” The plan measures success by a “10 percent year-over-year improvement in number of Staff of color hired.” A district presentation, “Staff Diversity & Staffing Update: Building a workforce our students need,” lays out its goals for hiring and keeping a diverse staff. This means that in years to come, a qualified candidate could be turned away just because of their race.
Defending Education urges the EEOC to investigate every claim in its request, fix Rochester City School District’s illegal policies and practices, and order the right remedies.
Read the full complaints and see its evidence below:
