Parent rights groups on Friday filed a civil rights lawsuit against a Missouri school district for hosting numerous programs open only to nonwhite students and faculty, including tutoring services and scholarship opportunities. woke up.
of complaint Submitted to the U.S. Department of Education by Parents Advocating Education (PDE) Claim The Kirkwood School District created “affinity groups” for students and staff in violation of both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. District-operated web pages provide information on recruitment activities and, in particular,black people, [and people] of color.”
Some tutoring services are only available to students in these groups. There is also an annual scholarship offered by Kirkwood Teachers of Color, which is only available to students who identify as “Black, Indigenous, or students of color.” Elementary school students in the district apparently raised and donated $800 for scholarships.
School district-sponsored affinity groups “enable students who share an identity to come together in a safe space to discuss concerns related to that identity, while promoting a sense of community while celebrating each other.” The purpose is to participate only to the following students: An email sent from Nipah Middle School says they identify as a student of color. ” Students in the group are “exempted from missing class” and attend meetings.
Affinity Groups Offered in Kirkwood School District (Courtesy of Education Advocates)
Affinity group also has the meaning of “increase”.[e] The district claims to improve “equity for Black and Brown students” by combating “systemic racism that impacts Black, Indigenous, and students of color,” but the lawsuit The complaint alleges that the district removed the webpage “to protect discriminatory student affinity groups.”
“Kirkwood University intentionally discriminates against students based on the color of their skin,” PDE Vice President Caroline Moore told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “School districts have gone so far as to hide or change hyperlinks to affinity group resources to hide their sinister intentions to pit students against each other based on race. This is discrimination. Parents and students in this district deserve better.”
A video series titled “Kirkwood Educational Equity Speaker Series,” which explains how affinity groups bring together people who share a “common identifier” such as race, has also been removed from the district’s website for the same reason. PDE alleges that
Kirkwood Educational Equity screenshot (provided by Parents for Education)
On its “Kirkwood Teachers of Color” webpage, the district specifically states its intention to “hire, teach, and retain teachers of color,” according to a screenshot of the site. Another page sponsored by the district titled “KSD Minority Recruitment and Networking Event” also “highlights the district’s intent to specifically hire educators on the basis of race.”
The “Teachers of Color” group clearly states:The complaint alleges that this is a private page for Kirkwood staff of color, that district staff have the authority to grant or deny access to forums based on race, and that participation in the group’s events is restricted to “persons of color.” Only “staff” are allowed. . (Related: Group that urged SCOTUS to end affirmative action has ‘grave concerns’ Elite universities will not comply with ruling)
Kirkwood School District staff of color (courtesy of Education Advocates)
“This school district not only discriminates against students, but also teachers,” Moore said. “Teachers of certain races are propelled to success while others are sidelined and repeatedly passed over for job opportunities based solely on their race. This is beyond common sense. Teachers of color receive stipends, mentorship, and attend paid conferences.Teachers in the district are taught to teach differently based on the race of their students.”
The Kirkwood School District did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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