Parents' group wants accountability after principal says white students can't join racial club
An advocacy group focused on parents' rights in education believes that a federal civil rights office's response to a complaint accusing a Washington state school district of hosting racially-segregated groups did not go far enough.
Last Tuesday, Parents Defending Education unveiled the results of a 2023 federal civil rights complaint it filed with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights against the Olympia School District.
The complaint, filed in February 2023, highlighted Centennial Elementary School's affinity groups for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) elementary students, a program that allegedly excluded white students. PDE cited an email the principal of Olympia Centennial Elementary School wrote to a parent, stating that affinity groups are "limited to students who identify as BIPOC."
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PDE argued that barring students from participating in a club based on their race, skin color or national origin violates both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
In a letter last week to Caroline Moore, vice president of Parents Defending Education, OCR disclosed that the district had been notified of the complaint and responded accordingly. The district communicated to students and parents that the club is open to everyone, "regardless of race."
"Publicly available information confirms that the District sent an email a week after the BIPOC affinity group was announced, stating that it would be open to all students," the agency wrote.
"Because OCR has obtained credible information indicating that the allegation is currently resolved and has determined that the facts underlying the allegation are no longer present, OCR is dismissing the complaint," the letter continued.
While Moore expressed satisfaction that OCR conducted an investigation, the parental rights advocate asserted that the agency's response did not go far enough.
In a statement provided to The Christian Post, Moore lamented that OCR appeared to be content with the school district attempting to appease the Department of Education by "merely altering a few words on their website."
"This resolution doesn't dissolve the administrative and systematic issues clearly at play in the district. Any principal using their post to send out letters on behalf of the district creating 'safe spaces' for BIPOC students from their white peers should be put on notice," Moore stated.
"All students, no matter their race or creed, should have the same access to educational programming in public schools," she continued. "Such outrageous overreach by the elementary school principal calls for a close systematic district-wide overhaul of discrimination practices."
The Olympia School District and the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.
PDE asserted in its complaint last year that the Olympia School District used taxpayer funding to host a club that a parent was told was not open to students of certain races.
"According to Exhibit A, students are separated based on race as early as 4th grade," the complaint to OCR reads. "The principal emphasizes the importance of creating a 4th grade BIPOC group' safe space' because 'this space allows them to hang out, check in and possibly talk about their experiences as a student in the minority as they build a community.'"
The parental advocacy group urged the department to determine if the district behaved unlawfully and to take appropriate action.
In another case last month, PDE called for an investigation of Boston Public Schools over uncovered documents showing that the district organized racially-segregated affinity groups for teachers and parents.
The complaint, filed through the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's office in Boston, highlighted various BPS affinity group materials, including one called "White Staff and Parents Challenging Racism."
A guide for the group instructs participants to "Learn More about Each Other as White People." Group members are supposed to reflect on past opportunities where they may have gathered with white people "to enhance [their] effectiveness as an ally to people of color."
As PDE noted, the curriculum for certain groups made it clear that the training is only intended for white people, which it argued is racist.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
