First on FOX: Parents of grassroots custody groups are urging the Trump administration to punish schools for racial disparities in discipline, as outlined in a 2023 letter from a dear colleague published by the Justice Department (DOJ) and the Department of Education (DOE).
According to the PDE, Biden-era documents promote schools that “to adopt racially discriminatory discipline policies” or face losses in federal funds.
“Despite the clear Supreme Court precedent that different influences alone cannot support a violation of Title VI, the School Discipline Letters state that racial disparities in the outcome of school discipline are prima facie evidence of racism. “In addition, this letter threatens school districts with loss of federal funds if procedures are not adjusted to eliminate such disparities.”
Biden's DOJ and the Department of Education's Civil Rights Office published a guide for schools in 2023 to address racism in kindergarten to high school student discipline.
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“Discrimination in school discipline can have devastating long-term consequences for students and their future opportunities,” then Attorney General Kristen Clark of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice said at the release of DOJ.
“The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division uses federal civil rights laws to protect students from discriminatory discipline, including suspension and expulsion discrimination, law enforcement referrals, and school-based arrests. The research we describe shows that students experience discrimination based on multiple aspects of their identity and reflect a joint commitment to fully protecting all students.”
In the letter, the DOE and DOJ institutions wrote that institutions engaged in “decades of enforcement” are engaged in “enforcement activities” that show discrimination based on race, color and national origin in student discipline is important and continues to be a significant concern.
“Not surprising, the district has suspended too many students about the fact that there are too many students from certain racial groups due to chronically destructive and violent behavior, causing the school to become confused.
“Discrimination in student discipline eliminates opportunities to seize students, drive them out of the classroom, and distract them from the school and the path to success. Early on from kindergarten, it persists in the application of student discipline in schools,” reads a letter from a dear colleague. “Racist disparities alone do not violate the law, but compliance with federal government's non-discrimination obligations can include examining the underlying causes of such disparities.”
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PDE spokesman Erika Sanji told Fox News Digital that he thought it was noble to adopt racist discipline policies to eliminate racist disparagement in schools, not to mention legal, and to direct schools to threaten loss of funds if they weren't in line.
At the time of the release of the guide, the agency completed a survey of 14 school districts in 10 states, including Alabama, Arizona, California and more. The survey focused on whether schools unfairly discipline black, Latino and Native American students. Concerns included suspensions, expulsions, school-based arrests and the use of other actions the administration deemed discrimination.
“Not surprising, the district has become skittish about suspending too many students about the fact that there are too many students from certain racial groups due to chronically destructive and violent behavior, causing the school to become confused,” Sanji said. “It has been a long time since we withdraw this letter. It should not be controversial to state clearly that school policies must be racially neutral.”
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Parent rights advocates will keep their signs at the Chino Valley Unified School District Committee meeting held on July 20, 2023 in Chino, California. (Getty Images)
The DOE, which President Donald Trump hopes to completely dismantle, overturned many courses of the “awakening” and DEI-related policies of previous administrations in the first three months. It has also launched an investigation into 60 universities since October 7, 2023, with allegations of anti-Semitism and violence against Jewish students and Hamas attacks on terrorist attacks against Israel.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Justice and Education for comment.
