An Oregon public school district is facing a federal civil rights lawsuit over its new discipline policy that takes into account students' race, gender and sexual orientation.
Parents Defending Education (PDE) filed a federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on Thursday, targeting a disciplinary policy at Portland Public Schools (PPS) “for discrimination based on race.”
The policy change regarding disciplinary actions mandates that “ongoing disruptive behavior” will now be addressed through a “support plan” that was born out of a collective bargaining agreement in November 2023.
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The support plan “must take into account the impact of issues related to the student's trauma, race, gender identity/presentation, sexual orientation, disability, social-emotional learning, and restorative justice, as appropriate for the student.” student”.
An Oregon public school district is facing a federal civil rights lawsuit over a new policy that takes into account students' race, gender and sexual orientation, among others. (Google Maps)
The agreement also allows the district to use a research-based “Racial Equity and Social Justice, Restorative Justice and Trauma Awareness” program to reduce exclusionary disciplinary practices.
The PDE claims that PPS has “enacted several troubling policies that treat students and educators differently based on race and gender identity.”
“PDE presents this complaint as an interested outside organization with members who are parents of school-aged children across the country. PDE and its members oppose race-based discrimination and political indoctrination in America's schools” , states his complaint filed with OCR. .
Another part of the agreement that the PDE disagrees with is article 18 in the “Transfers” section. The Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) agreement describes transfers as “a change from one task to another.”
On February 15, Parents Defending Education filed a federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights targeting a discipline policy at Portland Public Schools, based in Portland, Oregon, ” for discrimination based on race”. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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The PAT contract detailed “educational criteria” that would determine the transfer of personnel in circumstances of “tax base failure, declining enrollment, or program change” to maintain a certain proportion of demographic representation within the staff pool.
Since district policy seeks to maintain “racial and gender balance” in the workforce, educators will not be transferred if doing so would “reduce the building's percentage of underrepresented male or female professional educators or transgender/nonbinary/nonconforming the gender”. less than thirty percent.”
The PAT went on strike beginning November 1, 2023 for several weeks over concerns about pay, class sizes, planning time, etc., leading to school closures with no online instruction until the Monday after the Thanksgiving Day. (AP)
As for racial balance, educators will not be transferred if it “decreases the percentage of minority teachers in the building to less than the percentage of minority students in the building or below the percentage of minority professional educators in the District.”
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“Accordingly, we request that the Department promptly investigate the allegations in this complaint, act quickly to remedy the illegal policies and practices, and order appropriate relief,” the PDE wrote in the complaint.
The PPS presides over more than 45,000 students and the PAT represents more than 4,000 educators.
PPS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
