National education group accuses Rochester Public Schools of racial discrimination in federal complaint – Post Bulletin

ROCHESTER — A national education organization has filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, accusing Rochester Public Schools of racial discrimination regarding its teaching staff.

Parents Defending Education filed the complaint on Wednesday, December 18

document claims

that the district has violated both the Civil Rights Act, as well as the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution by only offering some resource opportunities to teachers of color.

“Rochester Public Schools has affinity group programming for some teachers that is not open to all,” the complaint reads. “The district allows only some teachers to participate in affinity group programming, mentoring and scholarships, and their participation is based on their race.”

Parents Defending Education describes itself as a “national grassroots organization working to reclaim our schools from activists who promote harmful agendas.” The group lists Rochester Public Schools on its “IndoctriNation Map” and has spent at least $15,000 making data requests in the district.

According to the complaint, Rochester Public Schools received a $136,400 grant to “support its mentorship-focused Color Resource Group staff.” The funding was issued through the Teacher Mentorship and Retention of Effective Teachers Grant.

A report by the Minnesota Professional Educator and Licensing Standards Board said RPS used the grant for stipends for mentor teachers, as well as “for teachers from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups to participate in events and opportunities for professional learning and peer support.”

The complaint also refers to the district’s “Grow Your Own” program, which is designed to help develop more teachers from within the district instead of having to recruit them from elsewhere. One of the requirements for the program is to be a person of color.

The complaint requests the Department of Education to “promptly investigate the allegations” and “act expeditiously to remedy unlawful policies and practices.”

In a statement of complaint, Rochester Public Schools defended its practice as both legal and a legitimate way to diversify its staff to match its student body.

“Research has conclusively shown that when a student of color has a teacher of color, it has powerful benefits for their academic achievement and educational experience,” the district said in a statement. “We believe the benefits of our staff’s diversity also apply to all other positions. As a result, our strategic plan seeks to develop and recruit employees from diverse backgrounds and support them once they are employed in our district. We have in a manner consistent with legislation and best practice in education and other areas.”

The district’s current goal is to increase “the percentage of teachers who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) from 5% to 9% between 2023 and 2026.”

On Tuesday, Dec. 3, the district released a report showing that 5.6% of the district’s teachers are teachers of color. By comparison, more than 40% of the district’s student body is students of color.

This is not the first time the RPS has been accused of racial bias. In 2018, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights required RPS to submit regular reports and develop plans for how it would address issues of racial disparity.

During the 2017-2018 school year, 45% of disciplinary referrals were to black students, even though they represented about 16 percent of the total student body at the time.

RPS was also cited in 2015 by the U.S. Department of Education for racial discipline disparities.